The Rosetta Stone was a puzzle. Many scholars tried to solve it. In 1822, a young Frenchman named Jean-François Champollion did.
Key idea
In 1822, Champollion showed how hieroglyphs work: many signs stand for sounds, mixed with word signs and hint signs. He began with royal names in cartouches and used the Coptic language.
Why it works
Names were the best place to start, because a name sounds about the same in every language. The Greek text named Ptolemy, so the cartouche must spell Ptolemy. Another cartouche, from an obelisk, spelled Cleopatra. The two names share sounds (p, t, o, l), and the same signs showed up in the right places! Champollion also knew Coptic, the last stage of the Egyptian language, so he could recognize Egyptian words once he sounded them out.
Worked example: A shared sign
The lion appears in both Ptolemy and Cleopatra. Which sound does it stand for?
- Ptolemy: p-t-o-l-m-y-s. Cleopatra: k-l-e-o-p-a-t-r-a.
- The sound both names share in that spot is l.
Answer: The lion 𓃭 stands for l.
Common mistake
Thinking one person read the stone in a day. It took many scholars many years. The English scientist Thomas Young made early steps: he saw that cartouches held royal names and read some of the signs. Champollion cracked the system.
The story goes that when Champollion finally knew he was right, he ran to his brother shouting, "I've got it!" and fainted from excitement.