Ancient Artifacts: The Rosetta Stone by Charles River Editors

Author:Charles River Editors [Charles River Editors]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Charles River Editors
Published: 2013-09-27T16:00:00+00:00

No. 2, CLEOPATRA.

The letters of the Egyptian alphabet with their corresponding English letters/sounds.

Despite seemingly being on the right track, Champollion took a step back in his translation efforts. Although he correctly deduced that the names written inside the cartouches were supposed to be read phonetically, he believed that most hieroglyphs “depict the ideas and not the sounds of the language” (Myerson 2005, 248.). Over time, however, Champollion soon reconsidered that theory. He reasoned that since there were 500 words in the Greek text of the Rosetta Stone and 1,419 in the hieroglyphic section, there was no way that each hieroglyph could stand for a single word (Myerson 2005, 259). Champollion then used his knowledge of Coptic to translate the cartouche of Ramesses II (“Ramesses the Great”) that was inscribed on another monument. The first sign in Ramesses’ cartouche is the hieroglyph for the sun, which in Coptic is “Ra”. The last two hieroglyphs in the cartouche are bolts of clothing, which Champollion deciphered as the letter “s” from the Rosetta Stone. He then simply filled in the final sign with the only phonetic value that was possible based on known Egyptian kings – “ms” – to read the name Ramesses (Myerson 2005, 262). Champollion had not only deciphered the hieroglyphic text on the Rosetta Stone but also correctly completed the first translation of a native Egyptian pharaoh, the famous pharaoh from the biblical book of Exodus no less.

In less than 10 years, Champollion was able to determine values for most of the hundreds of hieroglyphic signs known at the time, both phonetic and idiomatic, and he was able to compile the first Egyptian hieroglyphic grammar book and dictionary (Griffith 1951, 41). Champollion’s hard work had paid off; he had finally solved the riddle of the Rosetta Stone.

What Champollion did was truly amazing considering that even today it is often a standard requirement for graduate students of ancient Egyptian history to study the language for at least three years, and even then most experts will say that is only an introduction. Advanced scholars of ancient Egyptian language require a whole lifetime to master the language. Perhaps that is what makes Champollion’s decipherment of the Rosetta Stone truly remarkable. He was a pioneer who traversed unknown territory, making his discovery without any precedents to work from.

After Champollion deciphered the Rosetta Stone and the entire Egyptian written language, he traveled throughout Europe to promote his findings. He also traveled extensively throughout Egypt, where sources indicate that he felt particularly at home. The warm arid climate of Egypt acted as a soothing elixir on his body, as Champollion suffered from a chronic cough, headaches, and shortness of breath for much of his life (Myerson 2005, 174). The scholar may have suffered from asthma, tuberculosis, or another ailment that is easily treatable today, but in the early 19th century it would have been a seriously debilitating and often deadly malady. He also appears to have felt a spiritual connection with the Nile Valley that eluded him in Europe.

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