Have you ever heard of the Rosetta Stone, a black basalt stele unearthed in Egypt, not just an ordinary stone, but the key that opens the door to the history of ancient Egypt. Its story dates back to 1799, when Napoleon's army accidentally discovered it in Rashid (mistranslated as Rosetta) in Egypt. The stele is inscribed with three scripts, including the ancient Egyptian script, which has been lost. For many years, countless scholars have been troubled by it, until a French scholar borrowed the structure of the Chinese language to solve this puzzle. What secrets does this stele hide, and why does it become a bridge between the past and the present? Follow my steps to find out!
Having said that, the story of Rosetta Stone can be described as a good story in history. In 1798, after Napoleon was in the ascendant of Europe, he led the armies of the French Republic to the Middle East to counter the power of the British. He didn't stop and marched straight into Egypt, an ancient land rich in not only richness but also rich in culture.
Napoleon was not only a military genius, but also a man with an interest in history and culture. He not only wanted to make a name for himself in the military and politics, but also hoped to make achievements in the field of culture. He led more than 100 scholars to form the so-called "Egyptian Academy of Sciences", with the purpose of excavating and studying Egyptian history and culture.
On a hot summer day in 1799, one of Napoleon's engineers, Bouchart, was digging fortifications near Rashid when he stumbled upon this black stele that would later shock the academic world. At first, the stele was almost used as an ordinary building material, but thanks to Bouchard's knowledge of archaeology and the realization of its extraordinary value, the stele was retained.
The stele was sent to Cairo and caused a sensation. The text on the stele is divided into three parts, the top and middle parts are mysterious characters that no one can recognize, and the bottom part is ancient Greek. The value of the stele gradually emerged, from France to England, from scholars to ordinary people, all of them were full of great interest in this stele.
What really made this stele famous was its decipherment process. At first, because no one could decipher the above two characters, the stele looked like a locked secret book. It wasn't until a French scholar named Champollion came forward that he had a similar idea after studying the structure of ancient Chinese writing, and finally unlocked the secret of this ancient script. It turns out that these two mysterious scripts, one is the sacred script used for sacrifices, and the other is the vulgar script used by the people. Champollion's deciphering work was not only a major breakthrough in linguistics, but also enabled future generations to understand the civilization and culture of ancient Egypt more deeply.
The decryption of the text of the Rosetta Stone marks the birth of modern Egyptology. Since then, the mysteries of ancient Egypt have been gradually revealed, and countless unknown historical information has been revealed. For example, through the words on the stele, scholars have revealed information about ancient Egypt's religious beliefs, social structure, laws and regulations, etc., which is of inestimable value for the study of ancient Egyptian society.
But the story of Rosetta Stone is not just academic. The fate of this stele is also quite dramatic. After Napoleon's defeat, the stele was taken away by the British as a trophy in accordance with the Peace of Alexandria of 1801 and was eventually housed in the British Museum. Despite its location in a foreign country, its value and significance transcend national borders and cultural boundaries and become a precious heritage for all mankind.
Over time, the story of Rosetta Stone has spread around the world and has become a bridge between the ancient and the modern. It not only witnesses the changes of history, but also embodies the human desire for knowledge and the spirit of exploring the unknown world.
In this age of information explosion, Rosetta Stone reminds us that every stone, every symbol, has the potential to hide the power to change the world. It also enlightens us that whether it is Chinese characters in the East or Egyptian hieroglyphs in the West, cultural exchanges and integration can often open up new perspectives and thinking.
The Rosetta Stone is not only a witness to history, it is also a symbol of cultural exchange. From Napoleon's crusade to Champollion's deciphering miracle to today's understanding of this history, every link reflects the pursuit of knowledge and the exploration of the unknown. The Rosetta Stone teaches us that history is not just a record of the past, it also inspires the future. Let us not forget our original intention and continue to explore in the ocean of human knowledge, who knows, the next world-changing discovery may be hidden in a corner of our eyes.