The stone he found is inscribed with a decree written in three languages: hieroglyphic and demotic Egyptian and ancient Greek. Researchers used the Greek text to translate the Egyptian, which, before this discovery, was indecipherable. Just two years later, British forces took control of French territory in Egypt, including Rashid, and shipped the Rosetta Stone to the British Museum, where it sits today. According to the museum, the Rosetta Stone is its most visited item.
A photo of the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum
The image shows the decree etched into the rock itself, in three languages: hieroglyphic and demotic Egyptian and Ancient Greek.
Image source: The British Museum
On this day in 1799, a French lieutenant in Napoleon’s army found the Rosetta Stone. The officer was tasked with rebuilding an ancient fortification in Egypt near the port city of Rashid, which Europeans called Rosetta.
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