You’ve probably heard of the infamous Rosetta Stone, but do you know just how important it is in piecing together the past civilization of ancient Egypt? The Rosetta Stone is a key that unlocked the meaning of the ancient Egyptian writing system hieroglyphics! #ANTH2234 @2234Anth

The Rosetta Stone is the remnant of a large stone slab, called a stele. Carved into the stone is an identical message, written three times in three different ancient writing systems: demotic, ancient Greek, and Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Stelae, like The Rosetta Stone, were monumental stones in the ancient world. These stelae were inscribed with text or illustrations, and in the case of ancient Egypt, according to the Rosetta Stone itself, were placed in every temple across the land!

At the time of the Rosetta Stone’s discovery, no one understood how to read hieroglyphics. However, because the stone repeats the same message in three different writing systems, those who understood Ancient Greek were able to compare the scripts and translate the message.

Hieroglyphs, meaning “sacred carvings”, were a dominant feature of the ancient Egyptian civilization. They often ornamented the walls of temples and monumental figures. However, Egyptian hieroglyphics went out of use by the year 400 AD.

The disappearance of hieroglyphics is attributed to the rise of Christianity, and the outlawing and destruction of any association to Paganism.

The Rosetta Stone was discovered on July 15th, 1799, by members of Napoleon Bonaparte’s army. The stone was accidentally stumbled upon while digging through the remains of old fort walls in the Nile Delta, near the town of Rashid (also known as Rosetta).

So what does the stone say? The stone is inscribed with a decree from 196 BCE, commemorating and honouring the anniversary of the enthronement of King Ptolemy V of Egypt. Ptolemy V, who was actually Greek, rose to power at the mere age of 6. The decree was written when he was 14.

You may be wondering, where is the Rosetta Stone now? Well, at the time of its discovery, the Rosetta Stone was immediately seized by Britain. Since then, the remarkable Rosetta Stone has been on display in the British Museum for the past 200 years! #RosettaStone