Facts about the Rosetta Stone

1. 06

   Damage to the Rosetta Stone's top portion means the hieroglyphic section is incomplete, forcing scholars to reconstruct missing lines using the demotic and Greek versions below.

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2. 05

   Three languages appear on the Rosetta Stone because it was a decree issued by Egyptian priests in 196 BCE to be understandable across Greek, Egyptian, and demotic-speaking populations.

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3. 04

   Ancient Greek text on the Rosetta Stone provided the crucial bridge for scholars to match known Greek words with unknown Egyptian hieroglyphic symbols during decipherment.

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4. 03

   British possession of the Rosetta Stone since 1802 has made the artifact the British Museum's most visited object, attracting millions of visitors annually despite Egyptian requests for its repatriation.

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5. 02

   Weighing approximately 1,676 pounds and measuring 45 inches tall, the Rosetta Stone's granite slab contains parallel texts in two Egyptian scripts and ancient Greek from 196 BCE.

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6. 01

   Discovered in 1799 by French soldiers in Egypt, the Rosetta Stone's three inscriptions enabled Thomas Young and Jean-François Champollion to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics by 1822.

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