Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

The Riddle of the Rosetta: How an English Polymath and a French Polyglot Discovered the Meaning of Egyptian Hieroglyphs
The Riddle of the Rosetta: How an English Polymath and a French Polyglot Discovered the Meaning of Egyptian Hieroglyphs
The Riddle of the Rosetta: How an English Polymath and a French Polyglot Discovered the Meaning of Egyptian Hieroglyphs
Ebook989 pages16 hours

The Riddle of the Rosetta: How an English Polymath and a French Polyglot Discovered the Meaning of Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

Read preview

About this ebook

A major new history of the race between two geniuses to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Europe

In 1799, a French Army officer was rebuilding the defenses of a fort on the banks of the Nile when he discovered an ancient stele fragment bearing a decree inscribed in three different scripts. So begins one of the most familiar tales in Egyptology—that of the Rosetta Stone and the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs. This book draws on fresh archival evidence to provide a major new account of how the English polymath Thomas Young and the French philologist Jean-François Champollion vied to be the first to solve the riddle of the Rosetta.

Jed Buchwald and Diane Greco Josefowicz bring to life a bygone age of intellectual adventure. Much more than a decoding exercise centered on a single artifact, the race to decipher the Rosetta Stone reflected broader disputes about language, historical evidence, biblical truth, and the value of classical learning. Buchwald and Josefowicz paint compelling portraits of Young and Champollion, two gifted intellects with altogether different motivations. Young disdained Egyptian culture and saw Egyptian writing as a means to greater knowledge about Greco-Roman antiquity. Champollion, swept up in the political chaos of Restoration France and fiercely opposed to the scholars aligned with throne and altar, admired ancient Egypt and was prepared to upend conventional wisdom to solve the mystery of the hieroglyphs.

Taking readers from the hushed lecture rooms of the Institut de France to the windswept monuments of the Valley of the Kings, The Riddle of the Rosetta reveals the untold story behind one of the nineteenth century's most thrilling discoveries.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 15, 2020
ISBN9780691200910

Read more from Jed Z. Buchwald

Related to The Riddle of the Rosetta

Related ebooks

Archaeology For You

View More

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for The Riddle of the Rosetta

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

1 rating0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    The Riddle of the Rosetta - Jed Z. Buchwald

    a`bbook_preview_excerpt.htmlK$ו&Wg!̢@(Z" p#G2-fݔf%d14$34iE1D9^(P=2*#{w9'^WxO_zؿjsb/^wUChՀ? ߍbv.t۪+]ur\b[ʺXuV6ꋫ(M;Cчfo~>,]owΟ$,G<8~#k7=몮r[],hV WW/n|m'|ś\ΊW]ūS|?]'Ӟu+oBKyn苪bWʻEk Ua'ĝų_<[}rzݻ|tnzռ+qE͚K)bQeݮ嶐E",Ub뺽?K,A29ՑsɽO.qشI_ϙ-4?b5OUe ;oP=O5ص^dhSi B(UheŶldp'n)6Uumgxn>eq~U;ҧ}[qV̲=z);;w|T|@P.>AA>q-rmB>?lp>ο ?iM;Bnm)w]ӏ||"S }%닮l~m~r߽{]e7.X_ۯJiܸjQ]XBB:TMV*BZǏ>.w1z<1//˪."]~V/I.Nϲ\w]A~_BDNON?HOڭEըSpVQ奬!m}RܓohgK= WLO_u۝z˷0/s"DWbG_TQ4/=3)J|Y3u?L>{}mqZx毿ūߜ?𻏞~|q@Dٖ?{wD/rxVXe939řR.qΑߣe muW/pzE#?~(J+BlO> WNq\'/>sO=˃k^]%F,\^\1\t'YTpR===O8göw1KsǾ,M{.a[=Bl˪,];syժ;(]_~|/UBܚ|#pztND.M_wn~x8k9tg/zQi=/l3!;*Nos$"8lspU\`2gE4KQ2xw>:!\oŻ r%wOBRQ=Mu%;|t.rZgxz)a*ִbO!Crӝ{ޱYM yEw*@ʎǵ yC G͓Q>;{1(5z5^n{zeyD6zu?/?~6cY;j⭨mTy}pL?Bzʅ'G_{ѵP]4ɡXse|R<(]"{O ,{*wnSwoC%b4 yM{GmSnϿm7?3ĦQ$wzLVE|E[(ފ.*.j}`7!-cg=rμK1c;/#>4oxwkY(b߻=?;Kٗx$s韊g''W'/N>)ގpWg甾VZ-[! w>}ÃK%q so*/aX@Ë{ڮc\b7(]ⳟo`(c Vd\v#R7}{ K|K&F؇cjkQǮsxS-/p=y..DQ7.օzOD|[  dkR.ܥ~V#xb=ujP]/+g5T?Bp ڜf-rSܦmJ{M1ƾwU،r^]#_撞&zt W_!qhC7jr^uų,X= 6xE[#-NWV*-#sˢQ˗U]wx^rV+eYm*&uy!į$.m.R;K๸^NԦ_ko&1aUe^iSŦK6Pv^N In-Pj/-{ݕHX]3ᅏ]{ˮcl [Jr&,_%x UH6 'k1Gz.V) vE ]##} =֋d*G#oD"|טUdoY=kyC]?iqd?6 ,jrJwj޴a(=VEYU ~2LWF$h$,.qNBCقmKז<^!DZ?O GV#nQ3Xo&L%#ѽ(,i@vO Iu$s3Zcz-Ⱦ[W6?k$/%A6IY {mo|<*#]=pxR7ףF78eF,7ꑎH??_;5mP"bE6tJU/dic\CW}]}/nc끭DzP,ў}=&݁1 vdT]Vw*sA~1L2kndِJޟ0ke8 eeX<ɗ>C"^qrdB4?ͷAU2aLO_pؔC!hQK{t/GJ/ӵ=A cLnx>`Er:;z2USB¨=]VM:mUOv8rޣjܑyLWaBP=<8(駽t]c}2̚O Ezp_C뇇e8wf|i,; IHukzQk48Q\o nŌI]j4ӎt-{H^'+ZLr@>eض=ԉ5b*Wt,n]AcT$bDq#tT1UyxhŸեƣd&oWVoejfH_~AO3K%,U|h?wWvntS)կ?_4\Y&ৣ5?%>g<*k`}t񎭶'ߍeY+'kųV k5m>+4S=DALͷSG/3b8׾N]9,Xʰ7#{Zyȝ~Z%=<5w?Ȅ˔iwzإDAQ5V=FCu`+V߹j74ۘWcQM=aI0U3J6bca<Kcmzd8:bwboedI.ӭC2PCvpc70XY|.r2쪅U_%AsU/5\c *Y,pMi#+ɒP+˂~|u=k1qn/\М0^;&Nu*~pǞV=6d6;JVn4 @.܃/sMsp'@,w>,Elc^w(urdU}񾐙'z@7ߌ߹z.zZȷo̰i3ӂXë*K3|ROC e*=C.,1ve,1,g4 v̋!a]۱gg^}/}EaOޗ^G"*PY6X?]Jy/ar I(mP\xTZ۩ۺl{};* 5`> W '&:xolOQ1I}b,խl 1|s8vvKى  IJ_Y1yhsYn˵:hA֎NFx)ni6{'/*5A-A\0}fDxE: =\LriND(uپ>#g/PѢi39'8ǂ̽,Eg0K ɉvM5Ë:6-vS"[ Ai"[ G3SlfOVi9MX \mZd; Gܲ#QqP'V}Έ;3܏dx~RZBr%= V4X3kی&wv*.cmK\b9h ]Sv8ba0FysYu6Xܒ,fe_f6(-p>:Ѕ~)I~FeWMA3ک7bDBQjMd6snɜ @Qħۈ$ ">8_3ݲvMJ UlK aCBDdJpN']vͬ7sΨrKѸ_| l#0G^MROv2سkBMTޕXMCE?ځNH}h|ֹG W5 2eFELäiQ]Vu 5?7WQrXDϋz0Qn;ٵvFM#-΢E L/eUbD˱h/Ej~_pP*Rј(w_LxjQW㐁,ElfK 9SBW;*91Vai.kL7` hXg%ʡcUZЫaO]1-e%c x٤`{OHYqSW@1o|1E|eZfBC[ PU)UܯHԦeU5 KaXYmTCxF(%^RL'f^_4RzkZ}Qz@b02 qݰ^u@TMɲjө5MhC8Ln7$.+X[ i-d‹iз`s?nae}GLI|,Ȗ ?ۢ`K[#eA봽˔Aĉ/" W /x=gYӻJ-{Q+]1]ZJ̵z=38̥a?FDcC$07rp$=SZ(oj@/4EoltCC\^Y"PBX./ Di Rm1rjkyydh Dc4}*D$N?jپ;F>ւ~)0jKqqTW&AEh@AUcB3}y;>Qaϟu ni/BKsYíeVkK]2u 2iGVC{T&h;I. 󙃙<+ dbf&߉`ZvώOLT6e&|΄͕7TQHQաa&5?SCЉ $H"9Vv@Ek㬧bFiKbK gߓz{` O$qh?e4$p70ȰC1fA,aBS'=y D Ӗ);1v6e!5=a rV !=g^Ga7^M'P| uu( =oLR!d sԷlakF¡kbA!{!Ve G$ [8 2SEI.S.N܉Q!%l}ynfVRBVXO9aC$¨лЌHjv )J# &x%G["OVR9 DiRԿiE  5lG dN!#HE݃Yf:0kTs?_ .Vl OW"E#$.4vWe0k|֞[. gY*= :т [@T4e;]F \ ꏲ]SpZ8X`b'6JPyj.ʼn˒h:_ozAi.ZHiZD]3}jYru;=Ǖ/=c^>lvRK>;>gt2+{WRptJNiH5v?$HK#QR;-(#KzLU_\JI<]>nFXeVqɴ8˜ ~,rd#oIu9 ;j+!nM ,6i(iG*iBYG)$$^mU9[wx?{ H)Wby܋-2kl4\ Cb gZXu\yj畵߾sf \prf]0Pkm*^Xf#n=qSoe!2zwɜcj)skR| FQstCVefKMj33ۦz@+!!-6Py1س"J_<)((wTP\Os,|NC+rsXsZNBOSH =Ƴ蜂1Z)Q6Ʉ˜% zPFT^._ܙ䢟n.r=Vv6i*E`1Cr{a>:]_43XDiADi^r>j(L1_=|v;lB64'^ƹXa0d@E]vcwL%LxYa D;dʜ!L;%8[7vSMsc[d6}9sVh£T$wva# I֦loLY֝ kf|ԡ4̆ fb)~ra;65U~kMM񩮬 5 `D}GY~ ^ و:Cǣ-א03Ǜ0s?1pDD n P3>5/8nNkZ9m36VY/]VC+6@1sa#غliVcG˛ۧ#:KqnA%JCS#x@N6iډ1ϵQ׾3.bSmOpG߄ :\ӝT-ګP7VlT*Bfa K@-TǵI8 iG(혵nx"W<eaH=MǂclGa&K9ټ Wԡif~,Ųv-~Н&$)d7iiiWubƺ6)1fRB J KdR+$, {]aR)?AgLQpVe R *$|sJ;&++uwp!j޳gVB0g `T{V Thoʢ[x!aΚsYF;@Mԍ:W`Ҿ%ulZUZve'})|vFagfq#ܲ#᳾ F$dgmW>}]M.:A]úuJae1r&>l,Lk&Cyچ0҂|3S-E9TH?h ^Z?1J2 ]oۊ557>V員}NGE+i/2b ^Z;=[ݞ$b~:T!0f|}fn] f* яvfxbqRUAs' B0*}j\K)O4R,LnnəI Ё(P}^fӲeQA9aMc4)c윲lEX:wdžc"<#%c:\ZdvPi2$ذp0.@ gm<+cyjKJ.6b#{FB6BdXW, x"su@E aOzvY|&+OʱA,k8hs~]'@$09AsC3 AY1a>cN^Q L1>{8y?w^zo=={~?{Rrx/^>왓޾k1l*w&ۂg%QBK리W $7-gýif:IG7&!bkB+]DтEtED7%9e,@aNd #}Ů_c"ᐢy-m´ܮ~|!qR`P#(1&L^wBmM6L^GMY)m (R2<`"\4W-@ ^c rWd5We`؉a,\N#C^1HKEJe,n!: X łte̱7byUcZv5mxƽgz1 6O;Zn(e`l|M~ tpbIA0MJ=s|{c`jz5靳ZKn#Bq,g 7'S*DFIEY[{[ÚXLI"wU1oC:qd:V[`ƈ3QV 0~`|$  #YӍ' cÿ+>"¬ɈEHp9o̍(d  K6WQ~q]оn;KPANeהl^ pPTu);i;p"'W%}2G5%ژ//!9 ǵ9~t "FFJ&W'"jbqD`.+Ab`y(!le䮬wYU8?Ap3Zb$ƉroOyI"d3]z[)Gb,Ct za2%{ R(񐺥E`V]Ɠub@Ն) k,sUt)"ؒP_T%-Mh5iՊjkkX᧿ 3{0-e;ipryZ.qK>/@p*^o+] F6}VδM C[/V iHTV][_ |"e2}OvyG$! 4-}&橬Lfl 1vK г,]N˼^Z[-tp"'¨/$;fN a^p x()*α^F0=OyAOYV5KL(ŘᑣhVT`f2d^Cۺӑl\q.̹O$J>(^GeAz4Rp*+M6sJ>׈/nUk12\Qyח/7 Sҽ7)f}ZY2Oxp5yS䅃E?9[9`U[i[y{nywnor~ #d"gdZ!b\(&̡(/6J,B! !KO)Kv\}|ؚ.12($jDߝ< JC1Ʃ0bݩOL}>:n lOuٝeNuEJLks%"vЖK *b*<\ߥ<ҚQ+j3!ihNdU.˫VB0 ltͣq =E4࣎oϒ'G/,yUܳr,b{y5rk=ّxAs pgɳ\ժ8asYU`eo6u84f1t J^L^,'oaV{A 뀇Xo]эWZ_R5h+N!m)a R"lGbpk >ĺR[>`%0Ec"h\>N3vsb-٤fu2jP =k흆һ 1*p_wپlqVAiӓp,G›suK>f5MW#atahZ؈J1Ȟ@ܘaRT 'i@*NubbeU5o8(FZӬ>%r$eYuj,ȹ@{CrRiamyhƵ+d)Cl c+Aۃ?LM'#W %]$s3}!^q^ӊ3b'm~O3>g-\/^muH"L!J,koxs>WbehsA~MX^ѫ@IV+S:yf=P&@}H{]l@`Y<c9"0o-8:MyHw%&27aYJ=9'1GLb! EC,XЌ63WŃ҉mS_pD dQ6*,e0b ()rc5tTxj(Ife Z ǁ8h̶ 1{D ra].afZ$ڵv­)H k\|1޵"؁tic |P<>页)e[9@wX713yV`؋7 Ծԗ#ׯ𐐿/kΚBXxI@PǾ<͸( .A'> k:X0iyjƦtia=ϨňNM< b͘O2y32e=CUQY3Ĵ&ug e,rǞg]I @nhN<٣]F"F8 i3ԼM|oJG >" &'A#-][<-ѾÁpF3}M!fLmxR}Z719>h4ZG;t%΂,QD"5<&F.8U@:+ ?+F}yYXdJ_;F56@,G8wBikX=o*}]2OuC|UM|lK=ǹ[¼n1934mw'3,jiyPFؽhn' :Ϣ+KfZʙь_j6yYl$5Ev;korBgZ}z[a&e ){, &/<]͓ݷM~KX9+M)Pz+ >ࠔ){-*[tl$/G -/sjLMhނJ1QNϷ4m*!BrxkQA}?GIDW=Isl[C佾mO1=.YJDjܡ\^ynx5e{E6IMN$Y4GK3ɗ%tՂ5o- & ;y"଩$U|U\oO|tx=v6[SU^2r]b<-3E LW}L/N.瓑4PI0qY>D^Q|[:D-=j^d|R\-IR5wHߙN9_< 8CGJS[eǶ1P%ݬ=cXj{c^*M#JS6sѲ]oxOTH$ ?YD1<(Geɛ3Rx>`řiӿUB!WTMUVɰܠRr %Q"nce/dU+wKw])]8Jsot@E}0cUS y7.P Īʕ|()MFnXs}Qsoi \HhS:l^?t~ZCy/>=k-Ьf3/$-lһKjԤ/EԄ3jX4nQ\A-ͶsU G9oW!wd֣ ]y$`([f sXsƩXаdzFIrC㐴)HRcec\E?DR0dV!}^nPS>:  Ť=^*R8U(3,!ER& AgHN[@C+~[MSP 'TDPF]ߘC-JlXJRNxǮͥL9ךhu*eX[Ci'-2HIpȍLh4[4uA۹<0#: DZm;1Kĕ+ɅMv4DkL^bڮDpfqؖxiz=;?KmbnR Q9K8Lj΃)EkAdX1ZnfxP/ΟZ 3P- B,W)pȦÊa޵䯞%/,Yeԧ ưL)gJ< 30srrv(Ot(vEM"-kgNv6hp`W6c% e Kz6ʇ~5(&LfNn⎋ 矉N3HY75:#9Ku UEr>D[фAn`m;k2N,Gd V=Oǽ"CwoS ͦ =TxPLmm^d&-ӕ&s!-x\%'jf"f7{Q7+ZDƅ0d+ک.47(#rruΖjX"șN,Y$ߎ׌Cm3oVR ]T)89Pُ&'Q'J9yM VsD>7Bkyں'SPGzcԯ9u*Dk"*}>aם+ݻf&`KdLN\"rnZc%Y,7d Otk%Ku)Jg6RlPZ D#n6Ǵ [߽%.|dωP$6/rܦ(gv].pJbfeb(5&4iՂr]Z1:5b?y(wmu\'o"!#*bL >KݍO/? ^ }tTʛNR< Q[eaHR9GSš]$0oÆ+FS`%l`ЁqWe > Q_Ԏn]A7hd uD-/: X]N iz 7Ԕ(!a& wMmri:0te$Z`KTnF2GqU#QKY䦽-E~!+O;\'(Ƒ,.Co8tA :#󧹯&}#&%* -w\[T4 R/=sZ^8xSAH՛8Ͳs&#ivfuck: R-y-Ï*M̯Čq9C0dwɶ?<,M0$=RÞ7NFƚ E=/ ڽgP븺 d-F>Iu ZgO/n?MLj8)0dΪ*3ZAUo ]_aG$~c1YVx]_c3?2\{mTΐMO-Ѥaf]z߄#.2`ND9O8gr8}XƉ}=GǗbe;Țd3pwyB*vtDu4fI~Џif j2Rz s?e$@= imzkayhp&,4MtgS?n4k}f|G|T,3`bf z^1az͟E YX,q2JvJ_MNgpa 9ݥ~L~>Z+W'Ӎ>H|XnCjW&-)W=sSWE >+9彜&6[rػL upcv}K s<'/&s^Ewn\d)č૦9k@M4'PDGxB;J&r4RO6mL p~>J qP"߈QD9w*#36·?jxinb:-nMb]~Zhk%r-[]H]O[ˎUTq "=ͩGV?g:͘E?ڊWm.Q%ˣʙOl58[;lcҲX>3M@f/%i\LQԴO_@@ AX=kAό݉-L4޶DytP1ţjʮVî]l1۸%tǺŜ@d&vњ}i SV d-t&& mY-d=3댎( .Ǫ,^jgJ9u_'XѢV"HqXЌm4`ذ7kIySzx4AUkur(_?-l9c34l-e`#`gSli Da>|ic! [C^>&5Μ$;,ۜ,ͧ6$Rx9"L{^,A"U|*rCM ǒ S2>Bo˃θ*u^\BHBRw>(-R,!ʛݠ(6.Ugg(*@gr]_Rl ^F0DD:Vdf1X8Vc! FzTM׍䭊zL,[b; 5}qgg,keoiӽJ+ިC̩ pK/.yHY_jQN9rXT%z"vcG]Uj& ~2bu][QV[sE.Iur.yXswijay orˁ6S&ڸ[9@ }j0?Cօ䌪
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1