The Rosetta Stone, also known as the Rashid Stone, is one of the most enigmatic stones in history. It was discovered by a French officer, Pierre-François Bouchard, during Napoleon's Egyptian campaign on July 17, 1799, and it unveiled the mysteries of ancient Egypt.
What made this stone famous was that it was inscribed in three languages: Demotic (the language of the Egyptian people), hieroglyphic, and ancient Greek. This was done so that the orders of the king could be easily understood by the aristocracy, the common people of Egypt, and neighboring Greece.
Due to its inscription in three languages, the Rosetta Stone became the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs, marking a significant breakthrough.
After the stone was brought to Europe, experts in ancient Greek and ancient Egyptian engaged in a popular struggle to decipher hieroglyphic writing, which had previously been unreadable. This was because the language, believed to have been created before the Great Flood, had fallen out of use, leaving numerous hieroglyphic inscriptions in Egypt awaiting decipherment.
The Rosetta Stone, or Rashid Stone, tells the story of a young ruler ascending to power after the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great and the subsequent rule of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Carved from black basalt, it contains the king's directives. The stone primarily begins with information about the new king's lineage from the House of Amun, praising the new king. It then conveys various messages to the people and neighbors.
The Rosetta Stone is a decree, and initially, the discovery did not lead to an immediate breakthrough in deciphering hieroglyphs. Consequently, experts in France and England immediately commenced their efforts. Thomas Young in England and French researcher Jean François Champollion made significant contributions to the decipherment of Demotic and hieroglyphic scripts.
Champollion, in particular, used Coptic and ancient Greek languages still spoken today as a basis for identifying crucial elements on the Rosetta Stone. He speculated that these symbols might be proper names. By focusing on these, he eventually arrived at the name Cleopatra, unlocking the rest of the stone and shedding light on its mysteries.
With the Rosetta Stone, hieroglyphic writing was decoded, opening the gateway to the secretive world of ancient Egypt. This stone is now exhibited at the British Museum in England. However, experts believe that there are several copies and continuations of this stone still waiting to be unearthed in Egypt.
During World War I, the Rosetta Stone was held in the Hellborn metro station for two years due to the risk of bombings.
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