Franziska Naether: Why was the Rosetta Stone so important?

Why was the Rosetta Stone so important?

For centuries, scholars puzzled over the hieroglyphs they found carved onto ancient Egyptian ruins, tablets, and papyri. But in 1799, a unique discovery would finally help unlock their meaning. It was a stone inscribed with three different texts: Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Demotic Egyptian, and Ancient Greek. Franziska Naether shares how scholars decoded the ancient message of the Rosetta Stone. [Directed by Tim Rauch, narrated by Christina Greer, music by Stephen LaRosa].

The discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799 finally broke the centuries-old mystery of Egyptian hieroglyphs. Inscribed with the same decree in three scripts—Hieroglyphic, Demotic, and Ancient Greek—it allowed scholars to compare and decode the ancient language. This breakthrough revealed that many hieroglyphs were phonetic symbols, not just abstract ideas. As a result, the world gained access to the beliefs, rituals, and history of a civilization long shrouded in secrecy.