The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt (Wonders of the World) - Hardcover

Ray, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1861973349 ISBN 13: 9781861973344

Publisher: Profile Books, 2007

Synopsis

A pharaoh's forgotten decree, recorded in 3 scripts, hieroglyphs, demotic and ancient Greek, was rescued from rubble by Napoleon's expedition to Egypt, captured by the British army and deposited in the British Museum. It provoked an exciting race between Thomas Young (British) and Champollion (French, who won) to unlock the door to the language of ancient Egypt and its 3000 years of history. In a brilliant retelling of its story, John Ray offers a wonderful overview of the fascinating world of Egyptology and some provocative thoughts on the problems posed by archaeological 'loot'.

About this title

Review:

...successfully captures the West's fascination with Egypt. Always the master of his subject, he entertains rather than lectures, is sparing with minutiae but still finds space for telling detail. (Anthony Sattin Sunday Times)

Book Description:

The Rosetta Stone has been in the British Museum for 200 years and is the single most visited object in the entire collection. A pharaoh's forgotten decree, recorded in 3 scripts, the stone is the key to the lost hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt, a mystery which had intrigued men of science since the end of the Roman empire.

About this edition

• Publisher: Profile Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1861973349
• ISBN 13: 9781861973344
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 200