Jean Francois Champollion was born in 1790 in Figeac, France. He exhibited an early passion for languages and ancient scripts. In 1799, the Rosetta Stone was discovered by French soldiers during Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in Egypt. The Rosetta Stone contained inscriptions in three different scripts: hieroglyphics, demotic (a simplified form of hieroglyphics) and Ancient Greek.
2. Champollion's linguistic knowledge:
Champollion had already gained expertise in several languages, including Coptic (the final stage of the Ancient Egyptian language) and some knowledge of hieroglyphs before encountering the Rosetta Stone.
3. Bilingual sections:
The Rosetta Stone contained bilingual sections, where the same text was written in both Ancient Greek and Egyptian hieroglyphs. Champollion used the Greek inscriptions to decipher the hieroglyphic text. He started by focusing on the royal names mentioned in both texts.
4. Analyzing cartouches:
Champollion noticed that Egyptian hieroglyphs are often grouped within rectangular shapes called cartouches. Each cartouche typically contains a royal name or a title. By comparing the names written in Greek and enclosed in cartouches, he was able to identify some hieroglyphic signs corresponding to specific sounds.
5. Phonetic signs and sound values:
Champollion realized that certain hieroglyphs represented phonetic sounds, such as consonants or vowels, rather than ideas or objects. He was able to establish a correspondence between these hieroglyphic signs and their phonetic values.
6. Breaking the code:
As he deciphered more hieroglyphic signs, Champollion was able to read and understand shorter words and phrases, eventually enabling him to interpret entire sentences and texts.
7. Publication and Further studies:
In 1822, Champollion published his findings in his book "Précis du système hiéroglyphique" (Precis of the Hieroglyphic System), which marked a breakthrough in the understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs and Ancient Egyptian language.
8. Impact on Egyptology:
Champollion's deciphering of the Rosetta Stone laid the foundation for Egyptology as a field of study. It allowed scholars to access and interpret a vast body of ancient Egyptian texts and inscriptions, uncovering the civilization's history, culture, religion, and daily life.
9. Collaboration with other scholars:
Champollion collaborated with other scholars and built upon the works of earlier researchers who had made contributions to the understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs. His success was a product of collective efforts and dedication to deciphering the ancient Egyptian writing system.
10. Legacy:
Jean Francois Champollion is regarded as one of the pioneers of Egyptology and he had a profound impact on the field. His work led to the unlocking of the mysteries of the ancient Egyptian civilization and paved the way for further research and discoveries in the realm of Ancient Egyptian language and history.