Facts about the Rosetta Stone

The History of Egypt for Kids - Facts about the Rosetta Stone

The Civilization, Culture & History of Ancient Egypt and facts about the Rosetta Stone

Ancient Egyptians

Ancient Egyptians - Facts about the Rosetta Stone
A comprehensive guide and fact sheet about Facts about the Rosetta Stone. Discover fascinating facts and information about ancient Egypt and Facts about the Rosetta Stone.
 
The definition and importance of the ancient artefact
The history of its discovery
The history of the events leading to  its translation
Names of the historians, scholars & Egyptologists involved in the translation of the engraving
The work of Jean-Francois Champollion
Pictures of the artefact
The significance of the ancient artefact
An overview of the Rosetta Stone of ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptians - Facts about the Rosetta Stone
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Facts about the Rosetta Stone
This article contains short Facts about the Rosetta Stone. The definition and importance of this highly significant ancient Egyptian artefact. The history and translation of the Rosetta Stone by historians and Egyptologists.

Experts inspecting the Rosetta Stone

Experts inspecting the Rosetta Stone

Definition of the Rosetta Stone
The Definition of the Rosetta Stone: The Rosetta stone is a fragment of a large black basalt stone engraving found found near Rosetta in Egypt in 1799. It contained the same royal proclamation inscribed in three different languages: hieroglyphic, demotic, and Greek. It provided the key to deciphering the previously undecipherable hieroglyphics. The first translation of the hieroglyphs was made by Jean-Francois Champollion in 1822. The discovery and translation of the Rosetta stone was important because it led to the interpretation of many other early records of the ancient Egyptian civilization. The fragment of the stone is nearly 4 feet long, over 2 feet wide and 11 inches thick. It weighs approximately 1,700 lb. Approximately 114.4 centimetres x 72.3 cm x 27.9 cm weighing 760 kilograms.

Size of the Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is currently 114.4 centimetres (45 in) high at its highest point, 72.3 cm (28.5 in) wide, and 27.9 cm (11 in) thick. It weighs approximately 760 kilograms (1,700 lb).
 

Ancient Egypt - Facts about the Rosetta Stone Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on the Rosetta Stone:

The purpose of the engraving was to announce a royal decree of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ptolemy V (r.204 BC-180 BC.)
 

Fact 2 on the Rosetta Stone:

It was originally displayed outside a temple - a form of communicating important information to the ancient Egyptians.
 

Fact 3 on the Rosetta Stone:

It had the same message written in three different languages: Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Demotic (the everyday writing used by the ancient Egyptians) and Greek.
 

Fact 4 on the Rosetta Stone:

The hieroglyphic script was only used for writing important royal or religious information and understood by only 1% of ancient Egyptians.
 

Fact 5 on the Rosetta Stone:

The Demotic script was the simpler, everyday writing used by the ancient Egyptians for keeping records, accounts and writing letters.
 

Fact 6 on the Rosetta Stone:

The Greek script was the language of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt at the time the engraving was made.
 

Fact 7 on the Rosetta Stone:

According to ancient Egyptian law the royal decree was so important that it was directed to be inscribed on a stele of hard stone in sacred, native and Greek writing and set up in each of the first, second and third rank temples beside the image of the pharaoh.
 

Fact 8 on the Rosetta Stone:

What did it say? The engraving was a PR exercise, written by priests, praising the king and detailing new laws which included giving revenues of money, vines and corn to the priests and the temples, a tax amnesty on debts to the monarchy, the release of some prisoners of the state, tax exemptions for priests, provisions for the military and a new festival in honor of the king.
 

Fact 9 on the Rosetta Stone:

One of these engravings was erected at a temple complex near the village of Rosetta (Rashid) in the Nile Delta region of Egypt.
 

Fact 10 on the Rosetta Stone:

This stele became damaged over time leaving a fragment of the original engraving.  Other fragments of the same decree were later discovered in other parts of Egypt.
 

Ancient Egypt - Facts about the Rosetta Stone Fact Sheet

Abu Simbel

Facts about the Rosetta Stone
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about Facts about the Rosetta Stone for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about Facts about the Rosetta Stone for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about Facts about the Rosetta Stone for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

 

The Ancient Egyptians

 

Facts about the Rosetta Stone
Learn about this important Egyptian stele the fast and easy way via the Facts about the Rosetta Stone Fact sheet.
 

Ancient Egypt - Facts about the Rosetta Stone Fact Sheet

Fact 11 on the Rosetta Stone:

Ancient Egypt, ruled by the Ptolemaic rulers, were overthrown by the Romans following their victory at the Battle of Actium and the deaths of Queen Cleopatra and Mark Anthony in 30BC.
 

Fact 12 on the Rosetta Stone:

Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire and all official writings were made in Latin, the language of the Romans.
 

Fact 13 on the Rosetta Stone:

The use of hieroglyphics ceased completely after the closing of all non-Christian temples in 391BC by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I and the ability to write and decipher Hieroglyphic writing was totally lost for nearly 2000 years.
 

Fact 14 on the Rosetta Stone:

Many attempts were made by various scholars to decipher the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs but they all failed. Hieroglyphic writing was deemed to be a series of pictures that were mysterious, enigmatic and unreadable.
 

Fact 15 on the Rosetta Stone:

Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics were deemed to be a series of pictures that were totally unreadable.
 

Fact 16 on the Rosetta Stone:

The breakthrough came in 1799. The troops of Napoleon Bonaparte were conducting a campaign in Egypt against the English and a young French officer called Pierre-Francois Bouchard (1772 - 1832) discovered the stele at Rosetta (Rashid) when his troops were building a fort.
 

Fact 17 on the Rosetta Stone:

Pierre-Francois Bouchard realised the significance of the stone and transported it to Cairo for examination by a team of French scholars and Napoleon himself.
 

Fact 18 on the Rosetta Stone:

The French had made copies of the engravings which was just as well because when the British defeated the French they seized the stele and transported it to the Society of Antiquaries in London in 1802 where it was examined by various scholars.  It was later moved to the British Museum in London (where it remains to this day).
 

Fact 19 on the Rosetta Stone:

The first full translation of the Greek text on the stele was made by Reverend Stephen Weston to the Society of Antiquaries.
 

Fact 20 on the Rosetta Stone:

The French linguist Antoine Isaac Silvestre De Sacy 1758-1838 was one of the first Europeans to try to decipher the Demotic text on the Rosetta Stone. The Swedish diplomat Johan David Akerblad (1763-1819) was a student of Silvestre de Sacy who also helped with the translation.
 

Ancient Egypt - Facts about the Rosetta Stone Fact Sheet

 

Facts about the Rosetta Stone

Facts and Information about Facts about the Rosetta Stone

Facts about the Rosetta Stone

The people, places, culture and civilization of ancient Egypt

Facts and information about Ancient Egypt & the Egyptians

Facts about the ancient stele for kids and schools

Facts about the Rosetta Stone  for kids, schools, homework and research

 

Facts about the Rosetta Stone
Learn about this important Egyptian stele the fast and easy way via the Facts about the Rosetta Stone Fact sheet.
 

Ancient Egypt - Facts about the Rosetta Stone Fact Sheet

Fact 21 on the Rosetta Stone:

Silvestre de Sacy and Akerblad understood a few phonetic characters of the demotic script which they compared with the Greek script identifying some hieroglyphics as proper names: "Alexandros", "Alexandreia", "Ptolemaios", "Arsinoe" and Ptolemy's title "Epiphanes".
 

Fact 22 on the Rosetta Stone:

In 1814 the English scientist and Egyptologist Thomas Young (1773 – 1829) was one of the first to attempt to decipher the hieroglyphics on the stele. Thomas Young "made a number of original and insightful innovations" in the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs during his investigations.
 

Fact 23 on the Rosetta Stone:

Then a brilliant French linguist called Jean-Francois Champollion started work examining the copies of the engravings that had been brought from Egypt.
 

Fact 24 on the Rosetta Stone:

Jean-Francois Champollion had a knowledge of the Greek and Coptic languages. The Coptic language was a direct descendant of the Demotic Egyptian language.
 

Fact 25 on the Rosetta Stone:

Jean-Francois Champollion became known as the first translator of the Rosetta Stone.
 

Fact 26 on the Rosetta Stone:

He published his work in 1822 showing that the ancient Egyptian writing system was a combination of phonetic and ideographic symbols.
 

Fact 27 on the Rosetta Stone:

Significance: The translation of the engravings on this ancient Egyptian stele by Jean-Francois Champollion led to unlocking the secrets of  the hieroglyphic inscriptions  found on the walls of tombs, obelisks and pyramids and other ancient Egyptian artefacts. This provided an understanding of ancient Egyptian history, how the ancient Egyptians lived, their religion and mythology and the lives of their Pharaohs.
 

Ancient Egypt - Facts about the Rosetta Stone Fact Sheet

Jean-Francois Champollion

Jean-Francois Champollion - known as the first translator of the Rosetta Stone

Facts about the Rosetta Stone
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and Facts about this important ancient artefact inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about the Rosetta Stone will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.

Facts about the Rosetta Stone

 

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