The Rosetta Stone

A groundbreaking artifact in the study of ancient Egypt, the Rosetta Stone provided the crucial key to deciphering hieroglyphics. In this collection, esteemed Egyptologist E.A. Wallis Budge presents two insightful articles on its significance. The first, from The Mummy (1893), explores historical attempts to understand hieroglyphics, the scholarly rivalry between Thomas Young and Jean-François Champollion, and the pivotal role of the stone in unlocking the Egyptian writing system. The second, Budge's 1905 translation of the Rosetta Stone's inscription, reveals its content as a Ptolemaic decree rather than a mystical text. Offering both historical analysis and direct translation, this volume sheds light on one of Egyptology's most celebrated discoveries and the linguistic breakthrough that reshaped the understanding of an ancient civilization.