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Wonders of the World
The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt
The Rosetta Stone is one of the world's great wonders, attracting awed pilgrims by the tens of thousands each year. This book tells the Stone's story, from its discovery by Napoleon's expedition to Egypt to its current--and controversial-- status as the single most visited object on display in the British Museum.
A pharaoh's forgotten decree, cut in granite in three scripts--Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian demotic, and ancient Greek--the Rosetta Stone promised to unlock the door to the language of ancient Egypt and its 3,000 years of civilization, if only it could be deciphered. Capturing the drama of the race to decode this key to the ancient past, John Ray traces the paths pursued by the British polymath Thomas Young and Jean-Francois Champollion, the "father of Egyptology" ultimately credited with deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. He shows how Champollion "broke the code" and explains more generally how such deciphering is done, as well as its critical role in the history of Egyptology. Concluding with a chapter on the political and cultural controversy surrounding the Stone, the book also includes an appendix with a full translation of the Stone's text.
Rich in anecdote and curious lore, "The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt" is a brilliant and frequently amusing guide to one of history's great mysteries and marvels.
A pharaoh's forgotten decree, cut in granite in three scripts--Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian demotic, and ancient Greek--the Rosetta Stone promised to unlock the door to the language of ancient Egypt and its 3,000 years of civilization, if only it could be deciphered. Capturing the drama of the race to decode this key to the ancient past, John Ray traces the paths pursued by the British polymath Thomas Young and Jean-Francois Champollion, the "father of Egyptology" ultimately credited with deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. He shows how Champollion "broke the code" and explains more generally how such deciphering is done, as well as its critical role in the history of Egyptology. Concluding with a chapter on the political and cultural controversy surrounding the Stone, the book also includes an appendix with a full translation of the Stone's text.
Rich in anecdote and curious lore, "The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt" is a brilliant and frequently amusing guide to one of history's great mysteries and marvels.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2007
9 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
John D. Ray
6 books5 followersJohn D. Ray is the Herbert Thompson Reader in Egyptology in the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Selwyn College. He previously worked in the British Museum and has been a Visiting Professor at Yale and the University of Chicago. He writes regularly for The Times (London), TLS, and The London
Review of Books. A well-known radio commentator, he presented the recent BBC-TV documentary "Ramesses the Great."
Review of Books. A well-known radio commentator, he presented the recent BBC-TV documentary "Ramesses the Great."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 20, 2020
Summary: This is the last of 3 books I read on the Rosetta Stone. I wonder if the translation had simply not been completed in the others. It was by far the best, b/c it did not miss the actual translation itself.
The initial writing style is as bit hard to get into b/c he has that type of old-timey way of telling stories that a lot of grandpas use to try to preface. It's weird. Very different style. But once you get into it the writing gets a lot of better.
p. 3 I like that the text tells you exactly what portion of each is missing. I think if it was less old-timey, it would be even more precise in the way this is communicated, but I can work with this.
p. 16-17 tells the relationship about why it's so important. It unlocked two languages, Heiroglyphs and Copitc, which is the direct descendant of Heiroglyphs via what is known as demotic language. Everything was being reviewed for translation at that time.
This may be why people say "it's all greek to me"??I wonder.. I mean, i guess that would have been the language that connected everything, even though Coptic is eventually Arabic. Intriguing.
p. 18 - Once and for all, as this is confusing in the other books, Hieroglphys did not use phonetics except in foreign names, kinda like Chinese.
"But if Egyptology is to be seen as a historical science, we will have to conclude that many Arabic sources fall short of this. Their attempts to read individual hieroglyphs and to give them phonetic values were wide of the mark, although recognition that there was a phonetic side to hieroglyphs was an important one, which will recur in the next few chapters."
p. 19 - Everyone imagined that the Egyptians only wrote deep, mystic thoughts. Mostly b/c coptics was held as mystic and they were getting their stuff from hieroglyphs. But no, there's mundane stuff too.
p. 22, Before the Rosetta Stone, people like Kircher, and Johannes Kinckius all pretended to be able to read these texts, seeing deep meaning in the images. In fact, they saw nothing and their translations were more about them than the actual script.
p. 32 - Egyptology b/c a battle between France and the UK and this effected the way discoveries were made and people worked together.
p. 40 Young was rich AF and so he could do whatever, even though officially he was a dr. He made loads of discoveries on astigmatism of the eye and also in physics.
p. 42 - He studied languages like crazy. There were 400 at the time in the Encyclopedia Britanica. "
p. 45 - Young was into the demotic script and that's the way he went that route instead of just trying to translate the hieroglyphic from the greek. It suggests this script is phonetic. But damned if he couldn't just state it so I could be sure. So now I got to go find a book on this script. WHY!!!!!!!!!!????????
p. 62 We saw that Thomas Young had been in touch with Champollion's teacher Silvestre de Sacy. What we did not see was that de Sacy congratulated Young on being ahead of the work, and hoped for more, but he warned the Englishman that he should on no account trust his younger French colleague, who was capable of seizing any idea of YOung's and claiming it as his own."
This right here is why this book gets 4 instead of the 3 I gave Lost Languages. The biggest hting in Rosetta stone is the argument between Champollion and Young and that book failed to identify anyone both their mutual teacher, Sacy. Crystal clear. Thx Ray.
p. 66 This dude Champollion sounds a bit petty and as a result, people treated him that way.
p. 82 He talks about the idea that pictures were the first type of language. I needed that citation. thx. Also, he says: "Once the person who has made the picture has moved on, his exact meaning can only be guessed." That is true, but with Chinese, they then write books and create a whole crazy, work your whole life scholarly system associated with really understanding why a particular character is used. So I'm not 100% sure that carries with this language.
p. 90 he's got a great field guide on how to go about deciphering a language. It's pretty straight forward.
p. 101 Champollion's advantage was that he already had been studying coptic as well. (so too had young, btw).
p. 101... this huge digression at the end of the chapter on Michael Ventris. I have no clue WTF he's saying b/c at this point he's explaining YOung vs. Champollion and their study of The Rosetta stone.
p. 104. Thank you. Linear B is a form of ancient Greek from Crete. Why do these linguists bury the lead sooooo far back and talk about a language without saying WTF the language is first. But at least he tells you what it is vs. say... Robinson's book. Sadly, though I can't tell how his ability to demonstrate that Linear B was a form of Greek helps with the rosetta stone. Is it b/c it make the Ancient greek on the stone easier to read? Why do these people write in a way that is unclear. Are they only writing for hardcore linguists in this field? THen it just digresses on to Mayan script. Annoying. This is why I removed the 1 star.
p. 110 Short Hieroglyphic texts are now known from around 3200 BC and the last as we saw in the opening chapter, dates to AD 394. He says its the longest recorded history of any of the world's languages. Uhm. He tries to say that Chinese only has 32 centuries with no break. I'd like a fact-checker on this. I'm seeing in other literature that Chinese dates back to around the same period. I'm not sure if that is just writing or if it's all Chinese, or if there is some paradigm that the language must reach before we call it language, or if the discovery came afterward.
p. 131 I agree, the inscription/writing on Tutankhamun's crypt is beautiful.
p. 142, his description of the actual text is superior. I'm not sure if it's b/c he is using the full translation and that's recent or what. Personally, it sounds like a state of the union address to me as well, where you're trying to get people on your side, but also say why you've been a great leader.
p. 156 I like that he talks about the controversy of whether people should return the stuff they sold throughout history from other countries. Of course, they likely won't. But those countries will likely get baller rich and just buy them back.
p. 158 he asks what is ownership anyway when it comes to art. It's like esoteric philosophical treatises that sound like BS for justifying stealing a country's culture or not giving art back to the Jews who had it appropriated in WWII. I mean... I'm not buying it. But I'm cool that he tried to sell it.
p. 164-167 - The full translation of the Rosetta stone is here. It's also in a separate book on Achieve.org.
p. 174 - Footnote on Thomas Young being relatively unknown despite a ton of contributions.
The initial writing style is as bit hard to get into b/c he has that type of old-timey way of telling stories that a lot of grandpas use to try to preface. It's weird. Very different style. But once you get into it the writing gets a lot of better.
p. 3 I like that the text tells you exactly what portion of each is missing. I think if it was less old-timey, it would be even more precise in the way this is communicated, but I can work with this.
p. 16-17 tells the relationship about why it's so important. It unlocked two languages, Heiroglyphs and Copitc, which is the direct descendant of Heiroglyphs via what is known as demotic language. Everything was being reviewed for translation at that time.
This may be why people say "it's all greek to me"??I wonder.. I mean, i guess that would have been the language that connected everything, even though Coptic is eventually Arabic. Intriguing.
p. 18 - Once and for all, as this is confusing in the other books, Hieroglphys did not use phonetics except in foreign names, kinda like Chinese.
"But if Egyptology is to be seen as a historical science, we will have to conclude that many Arabic sources fall short of this. Their attempts to read individual hieroglyphs and to give them phonetic values were wide of the mark, although recognition that there was a phonetic side to hieroglyphs was an important one, which will recur in the next few chapters."
p. 19 - Everyone imagined that the Egyptians only wrote deep, mystic thoughts. Mostly b/c coptics was held as mystic and they were getting their stuff from hieroglyphs. But no, there's mundane stuff too.
p. 22, Before the Rosetta Stone, people like Kircher, and Johannes Kinckius all pretended to be able to read these texts, seeing deep meaning in the images. In fact, they saw nothing and their translations were more about them than the actual script.
p. 32 - Egyptology b/c a battle between France and the UK and this effected the way discoveries were made and people worked together.
p. 40 Young was rich AF and so he could do whatever, even though officially he was a dr. He made loads of discoveries on astigmatism of the eye and also in physics.
p. 42 - He studied languages like crazy. There were 400 at the time in the Encyclopedia Britanica. "
p. 45 - Young was into the demotic script and that's the way he went that route instead of just trying to translate the hieroglyphic from the greek. It suggests this script is phonetic. But damned if he couldn't just state it so I could be sure. So now I got to go find a book on this script. WHY!!!!!!!!!!????????
p. 62 We saw that Thomas Young had been in touch with Champollion's teacher Silvestre de Sacy. What we did not see was that de Sacy congratulated Young on being ahead of the work, and hoped for more, but he warned the Englishman that he should on no account trust his younger French colleague, who was capable of seizing any idea of YOung's and claiming it as his own."
This right here is why this book gets 4 instead of the 3 I gave Lost Languages. The biggest hting in Rosetta stone is the argument between Champollion and Young and that book failed to identify anyone both their mutual teacher, Sacy. Crystal clear. Thx Ray.
p. 66 This dude Champollion sounds a bit petty and as a result, people treated him that way.
p. 82 He talks about the idea that pictures were the first type of language. I needed that citation. thx. Also, he says: "Once the person who has made the picture has moved on, his exact meaning can only be guessed." That is true, but with Chinese, they then write books and create a whole crazy, work your whole life scholarly system associated with really understanding why a particular character is used. So I'm not 100% sure that carries with this language.
p. 90 he's got a great field guide on how to go about deciphering a language. It's pretty straight forward.
p. 101 Champollion's advantage was that he already had been studying coptic as well. (so too had young, btw).
p. 101... this huge digression at the end of the chapter on Michael Ventris. I have no clue WTF he's saying b/c at this point he's explaining YOung vs. Champollion and their study of The Rosetta stone.
p. 104. Thank you. Linear B is a form of ancient Greek from Crete. Why do these linguists bury the lead sooooo far back and talk about a language without saying WTF the language is first. But at least he tells you what it is vs. say... Robinson's book. Sadly, though I can't tell how his ability to demonstrate that Linear B was a form of Greek helps with the rosetta stone. Is it b/c it make the Ancient greek on the stone easier to read? Why do these people write in a way that is unclear. Are they only writing for hardcore linguists in this field? THen it just digresses on to Mayan script. Annoying. This is why I removed the 1 star.
p. 110 Short Hieroglyphic texts are now known from around 3200 BC and the last as we saw in the opening chapter, dates to AD 394. He says its the longest recorded history of any of the world's languages. Uhm. He tries to say that Chinese only has 32 centuries with no break. I'd like a fact-checker on this. I'm seeing in other literature that Chinese dates back to around the same period. I'm not sure if that is just writing or if it's all Chinese, or if there is some paradigm that the language must reach before we call it language, or if the discovery came afterward.
p. 131 I agree, the inscription/writing on Tutankhamun's crypt is beautiful.
p. 142, his description of the actual text is superior. I'm not sure if it's b/c he is using the full translation and that's recent or what. Personally, it sounds like a state of the union address to me as well, where you're trying to get people on your side, but also say why you've been a great leader.
p. 156 I like that he talks about the controversy of whether people should return the stuff they sold throughout history from other countries. Of course, they likely won't. But those countries will likely get baller rich and just buy them back.
p. 158 he asks what is ownership anyway when it comes to art. It's like esoteric philosophical treatises that sound like BS for justifying stealing a country's culture or not giving art back to the Jews who had it appropriated in WWII. I mean... I'm not buying it. But I'm cool that he tried to sell it.
p. 164-167 - The full translation of the Rosetta stone is here. It's also in a separate book on Achieve.org.
p. 174 - Footnote on Thomas Young being relatively unknown despite a ton of contributions.
April 13, 2024
Розетският камък – ключът към египетската цивилизация: https://knigolandia.info/the-rosetta-...
Да видя на живо Розетския камък беше определено връхната точка на твърде краткото ми посещение в Британския музей миналия месец – броените минути, прекарани пред най-посещавания артефакт в целия музей за последните 200 години, откакто е там, не ми бе достатъчно, и от книжарницата в музея си взех „Розетският камък и възкресението на Древния Египет“ на Джон Рей. Ученият се стреми вкратце да разкаже всичко важно около историята на камъка, открит от Наполеоновите войници в Египет и плячкосан от британците след тяхното поражение, и който се оказва ключът не просто към разчитането на древноегипетските йероглифи, а изобщо към преоткриването на хилядолетното минало на една от най-важните култури в човешката история.
Profilе Book
https://knigolandia.info/the-rosetta-...
Да видя на живо Розетския камък беше определено връхната точка на твърде краткото ми посещение в Британския музей миналия месец – броените минути, прекарани пред най-посещавания артефакт в целия музей за последните 200 години, откакто е там, не ми бе достатъчно, и от книжарницата в музея си взех „Розетският камък и възкресението на Древния Египет“ на Джон Рей. Ученият се стреми вкратце да разкаже всичко важно около историята на камъка, открит от Наполеоновите войници в Египет и плячкосан от британците след тяхното поражение, и който се оказва ключът не просто към разчитането на древноегипетските йероглифи, а изобщо към преоткриването на хилядолетното минало на една от най-важните култури в човешката история.
Profilе Book
https://knigolandia.info/the-rosetta-...
May 23, 2008
This tidy, well-made book is worth reading if for no other reason than to learn that in 1992 Pope John Paul II finally accepted Galileo's argument that the earth moves around the sun. That interesting & unexpected note, along with many more curious items, fill Ray's Rosetta Stone, a short, generally pleasant read that provides a quick introduction to how the Egyptian hieroglyphs were deciphered. The title is a bit of a misnomer ... very few pages actually discuss what is written on the stone or how that text is historically significant. Instead, Ray devotes most of his attention to tracing the attempts of several scholars to crack the code, with special emphasis on the work of the British polymath Thomas Young. Of course, Champollion's methods and eventual success lie at the heart of the book.
Though the book is quickly read, Ray's style can occasionally be clumsy and incohesive, and the way he anthropomorphizes the Rosetta stone and other Egyptian artifacts is odd and sometimes off-putting. But Ray's translation of the Rosetta Stone is very interesting, and his many suggestions for further reading make this small volume a fun "jumping off" point for continued research on the ancient Egyptians and their system for writing.
Though the book is quickly read, Ray's style can occasionally be clumsy and incohesive, and the way he anthropomorphizes the Rosetta stone and other Egyptian artifacts is odd and sometimes off-putting. But Ray's translation of the Rosetta Stone is very interesting, and his many suggestions for further reading make this small volume a fun "jumping off" point for continued research on the ancient Egyptians and their system for writing.
September 15, 2021
I have always considered the Rosetta stone to be the most important ancient Egyptian artifact. Without which we would be staring cluelessly at all these temples, tombs and obelisks, only admiring the art and effort it took to build, but knowing nothing about the history, believes and heritage of such a great civilization.
The first part of the book goes through the the main contributors to deciphering the Hieroglyphics, mainly Young and Champollion, and the academical debate that was fueled by political and national pride, but most of it shows good spirits from Young's side, and his acknowledgment of Champollion's breakthroughs.
one of the most interesting chapters is the one that draws the connection between the hieroglyphic and the modern alphabet, passing through sematic languages that used Acrophony. m came from Mayim (meaning water), and looks like a wave!
It wasn't clear to me though why the sematic languages (Arabic and Hebrew) didn't use similar letters. Or maybe they did in earlier forms of the languages. Anyways, that sparked an interest in me to read more about the modern languages' roots, and how they developed
I had an ever going question in mind about the price Egypt paid for such discoveries, and the birth of Egyptology as a new field of study. It's a fact that most of the advancement in this field happened in Europe, and maybe if it wasn't for that, this great civilization would have been forgotten totally.
Our understanding (or ignorance) of such a great civilization would have been totally different without Young and Champollion.
On the heritage side, antiques as big as whole obelisks were being stolen left and right, shipped to Europe to decorate the most important piazzas.
On the political and social sides, it was under continuous custody of the Turks, French and British.
The author touch base with that with an interesting opinion and more questions about the meaning of ownership in the first place, and that having few Egyptian monuments spread all over the world in fact pays tribute to this great civilization, while putting the responsibility of protecting this heritage over the world's shoulders.
I can also add to his reasoning that the heritage they left is so huge that whatever was stolen is only a drop out of a sea, and gives a chance to Egyptology devotees to experience what they passion about first hand, if they can't make the trip to Egypt.
As the ancient Egyptians put it, "to speak the name of the dead is to make them live again" its their idea of immortality, and immortality is what they earned with the Rosetta Stone.
The first part of the book goes through the the main contributors to deciphering the Hieroglyphics, mainly Young and Champollion, and the academical debate that was fueled by political and national pride, but most of it shows good spirits from Young's side, and his acknowledgment of Champollion's breakthroughs.
one of the most interesting chapters is the one that draws the connection between the hieroglyphic and the modern alphabet, passing through sematic languages that used Acrophony. m came from Mayim (meaning water), and looks like a wave!
It wasn't clear to me though why the sematic languages (Arabic and Hebrew) didn't use similar letters. Or maybe they did in earlier forms of the languages. Anyways, that sparked an interest in me to read more about the modern languages' roots, and how they developed
I had an ever going question in mind about the price Egypt paid for such discoveries, and the birth of Egyptology as a new field of study. It's a fact that most of the advancement in this field happened in Europe, and maybe if it wasn't for that, this great civilization would have been forgotten totally.
Our understanding (or ignorance) of such a great civilization would have been totally different without Young and Champollion.
On the heritage side, antiques as big as whole obelisks were being stolen left and right, shipped to Europe to decorate the most important piazzas.
On the political and social sides, it was under continuous custody of the Turks, French and British.
The author touch base with that with an interesting opinion and more questions about the meaning of ownership in the first place, and that having few Egyptian monuments spread all over the world in fact pays tribute to this great civilization, while putting the responsibility of protecting this heritage over the world's shoulders.
I can also add to his reasoning that the heritage they left is so huge that whatever was stolen is only a drop out of a sea, and gives a chance to Egyptology devotees to experience what they passion about first hand, if they can't make the trip to Egypt.
As the ancient Egyptians put it, "to speak the name of the dead is to make them live again" its their idea of immortality, and immortality is what they earned with the Rosetta Stone.
September 3, 2020
Book: The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt
Author: John D. Ray
Rating: 2 Out of 5 Stars
I really don’t know how I feel about this one. On the one hand, I did really enjoy it, but, yet, I didn’t. I really thought this was going to be about the Rosetta Stone and its contents, not just about the people who found it and how it belongs to. Don’t get me wrong, that was interesting and all, but it just wasn’t what I was looking for.
As a whole, this book is actually put together pretty well. I like that we get a little bit of background about the actual stone, then we go into the battle for it and learning to read it. We get into a lot of who should actually own the stone as well, which is always an interesting read. I like it whenever people debate over who should own what and why they think so. It brings up a lot of great talking points.
The actual people who started attempting to read the stone was kind of interesting. However, I did find a lot of the backstory to be kind of boring and I don’t know. I mean, I don’t think giving everyone’s backstory and life story is completely necessary. I just don’t know if we needed to have that much information. This probably is more of a style issue than anything.
So, let’s talk about that. The style of this book was just a little off. I don’t know what it was, but if felt like Ray was trying to hide information from the reader and pretending to actually know more than the reader. There was a few parts that I felt like the author was trying to look down at the reader. This is an academic read, but I felt like I was being spoken down to a lot in this book. I also thought that the book wasn’t really thought out the best. It felt like Ray wanted to have more and didn’t have it. I don’t know what was actually attempting to do here, if I am being honest.
I really don’t have anything else to say about this book. It’s a good starting point, but it just needed more.
Author: John D. Ray
Rating: 2 Out of 5 Stars
I really don’t know how I feel about this one. On the one hand, I did really enjoy it, but, yet, I didn’t. I really thought this was going to be about the Rosetta Stone and its contents, not just about the people who found it and how it belongs to. Don’t get me wrong, that was interesting and all, but it just wasn’t what I was looking for.
As a whole, this book is actually put together pretty well. I like that we get a little bit of background about the actual stone, then we go into the battle for it and learning to read it. We get into a lot of who should actually own the stone as well, which is always an interesting read. I like it whenever people debate over who should own what and why they think so. It brings up a lot of great talking points.
The actual people who started attempting to read the stone was kind of interesting. However, I did find a lot of the backstory to be kind of boring and I don’t know. I mean, I don’t think giving everyone’s backstory and life story is completely necessary. I just don’t know if we needed to have that much information. This probably is more of a style issue than anything.
So, let’s talk about that. The style of this book was just a little off. I don’t know what it was, but if felt like Ray was trying to hide information from the reader and pretending to actually know more than the reader. There was a few parts that I felt like the author was trying to look down at the reader. This is an academic read, but I felt like I was being spoken down to a lot in this book. I also thought that the book wasn’t really thought out the best. It felt like Ray wanted to have more and didn’t have it. I don’t know what was actually attempting to do here, if I am being honest.
I really don’t have anything else to say about this book. It’s a good starting point, but it just needed more.
October 28, 2025
If I could just sit around all day reading these kinds of books I'd be very pleased.
September 30, 2021
Heel tof, interessant en goed geschreven. Wel duidelijk door een Brit, over de Frans-Britse meningsverschillen.
July 17, 2025
Found a copy of this while browsing my uni library and took it home because it was short and had a lovely red binding. Very interesting and accessible little book about the historical, linguistic and political significance of the Rosetta Stone. Some chapters were more up my alley than others and I can’t say I agree with chapter 9’s conclusion about keeping the stone in Britain but this was a shockingly engaging read as someone who isn’t very well-versed in the subject matter.
September 19, 2022
A good intro to the deciphering of hieroglyphics, although it seemed like the author ran out of resources by the last two chapters.
December 9, 2012
This book is part of a series from Harvard University Press, called Wonders of the World, covering mainly significant works of historical architecture. The books tend to the dry and academic, but do offer a fairly comprehensive background and explanation of some amazing sights including the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, St. Peter's in Rome, and many more.
This book offers an explanation of the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, its eventual home in the British Museum, the deciphering of the stone, the development of the discipline of Egyptology, and content of the stone including a complete translation and setting in which it was originally written.
Ray manages to offer a well-balanced, detailed, and interesting summary of all things related to the Rosetta Stone without overwhelming or boring the reader. I though this was a great introduction for a visit to the British Museum.
This book offers an explanation of the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, its eventual home in the British Museum, the deciphering of the stone, the development of the discipline of Egyptology, and content of the stone including a complete translation and setting in which it was originally written.
Ray manages to offer a well-balanced, detailed, and interesting summary of all things related to the Rosetta Stone without overwhelming or boring the reader. I though this was a great introduction for a visit to the British Museum.
September 19, 2015
A charming little book, and there are more in a series which I mean to explore. Somehow the author manages to compact everything you need to know about the Rosetta Stone in this small volume. Its discoverers, its translators, the rights of country of origin to regain property taken from them in earlier centuries. Highly recommended. There is also a really good section on how you go about decoding an unknown language, from the baby steps of figuring out the first letter.
December 22, 2023
There have been plenty of books about the decipherment of hieroglyphs in recent years, but Ray's book is more wide-ranging than most. Its breadth is surpassed only by Cracking Codes by Richard Parkinson, which is impressive, given that Ray's book is far smaller.
Ray's credentials for this subject are impeccable. Not only is he an Egyptologist, he also helped decipher the Carian language using a hieroglyphic bilingual text. His style is odd: full of side comments that are often humorous but sometimes just weird. He is pretty fair-minded in treating the dispute between Young and Champollion, and he points out a few things not seen in most other sources, such as a possible reason why Young was uninterested in hieroglyphs except as an intellectual puzzle.
Like any book on this topic, Ray's book includes an account of the Rosetta Stone's discovery and a description of the slow process of decipherment. Like many of them, it also gives a translation of the stone's rather uninteresting text and a sample of the much more interesting works of literature that its decipherment allowed us to read. However, Ray also discusses the general process of deciphering an unknown script, with examples of how other scripts were deciphered (Maya and Linear B) and a handy step-by-step guide for anyone trying to decipher a script themselves. He also has a chapter on the controversy over repatriation. Should famous artifacts like the Rosetta Stone, taken from their home countries by imperialist powers, be returned? He argues strongly that repatriation is unnecessary, and though I'm not convinced by his argument, he provides the best defense of his position that I have read.
Ray's book is also one of the few that discuss the people who completed the decipherment of Egyptian scripts after Champollion's death. In fact, he does so in more detail than any other book about the process—except, oddly, Andrew Robinson's biography of Champollion.
Ray's credentials for this subject are impeccable. Not only is he an Egyptologist, he also helped decipher the Carian language using a hieroglyphic bilingual text. His style is odd: full of side comments that are often humorous but sometimes just weird. He is pretty fair-minded in treating the dispute between Young and Champollion, and he points out a few things not seen in most other sources, such as a possible reason why Young was uninterested in hieroglyphs except as an intellectual puzzle.
Like any book on this topic, Ray's book includes an account of the Rosetta Stone's discovery and a description of the slow process of decipherment. Like many of them, it also gives a translation of the stone's rather uninteresting text and a sample of the much more interesting works of literature that its decipherment allowed us to read. However, Ray also discusses the general process of deciphering an unknown script, with examples of how other scripts were deciphered (Maya and Linear B) and a handy step-by-step guide for anyone trying to decipher a script themselves. He also has a chapter on the controversy over repatriation. Should famous artifacts like the Rosetta Stone, taken from their home countries by imperialist powers, be returned? He argues strongly that repatriation is unnecessary, and though I'm not convinced by his argument, he provides the best defense of his position that I have read.
Ray's book is also one of the few that discuss the people who completed the decipherment of Egyptian scripts after Champollion's death. In fact, he does so in more detail than any other book about the process—except, oddly, Andrew Robinson's biography of Champollion.
February 6, 2019
This is a great jumping-off point for Egyptology, with good citations and suggestions of what else to read in the field.
Some last chapters are a little unnecessary-- there is much apology for the modern West's habit of refusing to return artifacts from other cultures to their countries of origin-- but otherwise, this is a very good book. Ray is clearly a Romantic, and tells the story of the decipherment of the Rosetta Stone most entertainingly.
Some last chapters are a little unnecessary-- there is much apology for the modern West's habit of refusing to return artifacts from other cultures to their countries of origin-- but otherwise, this is a very good book. Ray is clearly a Romantic, and tells the story of the decipherment of the Rosetta Stone most entertainingly.
January 22, 2019
Charming history of the decoding of the stone--the whole messy uncertain business, the false starts, the flashes of genius to identify what the domain of the solution was in. How the eventual solution was delayed by the perceived wisdom of the times--well told and compelling. The actual text is way less intriguing than the process of discovery. Nice. DPL book 493.1 R
August 21, 2021
This book is an excellent review of the Rosetta Stone, and how it led to the translation and understanding of Egyptian Hieroglyphics. It is also a history of the stone itself, and of the Egyptian language. This is a must-read for the student of Egyptian history.
July 18, 2020
Very god but too short, I wanted more linguistics
August 28, 2023
This has a very interesting history of the events and locations before and after the finding of the stone. It is neat seeing the different languages and what all it took to get them all translated.
October 1, 2024
Read for my West Sussex Library Reading Challenge - non fiction
July 28, 2025
Interesting look at the Rosetta Stone and what it means.
September 3, 2025
4.5 stars. Very fascinating, written like a novel, and left me wondering more about the mysteries of our history.
August 19, 2007
This nonfiction book is about the Rosetta Stone as well as the gentlemen who found it, studied it, and solved it. It doesn't talk so much about Ancient Egypt as it does the Enlightenment and the Romantic periods because that's when the stone was found and those are the people who studied it. The author focuses on the two main contributors to solving Egyptian hieroglyphs, Thomas Young, an englishman, and Jean-François Champollion who was french.
The author makes the case that Young laid the foundation of solving Egyptian hieroglyphs while Champollion took them even further. It's a big deal to some because of the whole british/french thing. The history of the stone is fascinating. It is a decree made by Pharoah, Ptolemy V Epiphanes thanking the priests and temples for helping him out during a period of revolt, and it's written in hieroglyphs (which was considered the writing of the gods), Egyptian Demotic (a kind of script used in document writing), and also in classical Greek.
It was Napoleon's men who found the stone first in the Egyptian city of...Rosetta. The french were unearthing all kinds of ancient treasures while Napoleon invaded Egypt. Then along came Britain who took Egypt from France and also stole treasures, many of which sit in the British Museum today.
What makes this book so great is the author, an englishman, writes so well. It's not a dull book at all. He has that dry british wit and he uses it quite a bit. The only part that was "meh" was the last little bit about who really owns the Rosetta Stone? Where should it reside? He goes on about should we give back all the treasures to the places they were found? But that if we do that we'll have to do that with everything, not just Egyptian stuff...and then what of the people who legally bought things? Do the items belong to the purchaser, or should the purchaser be made to give the items/artwork back to the countries where they were made?
Then at the very end the author translates the stone for us. The decree itself is kinda boring because it's the pharaoh going on and on and everytime he mentions himself it's not "I" or "me" it's something like "King Ptomlemy god manifest whose beneficience is perfect" and reading that over and over gets old. But it's not what the stone says that's actually important, it's the fact that it says it in three different languages/scripts/whatever which leads to people being able to figure out Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The author makes the case that Young laid the foundation of solving Egyptian hieroglyphs while Champollion took them even further. It's a big deal to some because of the whole british/french thing. The history of the stone is fascinating. It is a decree made by Pharoah, Ptolemy V Epiphanes thanking the priests and temples for helping him out during a period of revolt, and it's written in hieroglyphs (which was considered the writing of the gods), Egyptian Demotic (a kind of script used in document writing), and also in classical Greek.
It was Napoleon's men who found the stone first in the Egyptian city of...Rosetta. The french were unearthing all kinds of ancient treasures while Napoleon invaded Egypt. Then along came Britain who took Egypt from France and also stole treasures, many of which sit in the British Museum today.
What makes this book so great is the author, an englishman, writes so well. It's not a dull book at all. He has that dry british wit and he uses it quite a bit. The only part that was "meh" was the last little bit about who really owns the Rosetta Stone? Where should it reside? He goes on about should we give back all the treasures to the places they were found? But that if we do that we'll have to do that with everything, not just Egyptian stuff...and then what of the people who legally bought things? Do the items belong to the purchaser, or should the purchaser be made to give the items/artwork back to the countries where they were made?
Then at the very end the author translates the stone for us. The decree itself is kinda boring because it's the pharaoh going on and on and everytime he mentions himself it's not "I" or "me" it's something like "King Ptomlemy god manifest whose beneficience is perfect" and reading that over and over gets old. But it's not what the stone says that's actually important, it's the fact that it says it in three different languages/scripts/whatever which leads to people being able to figure out Egyptian hieroglyphs.
December 2, 2015
This made for a somewhat odd entry in the Wonders of the World series as the other books in the set all seem to be dedicated to significant historical buildings and structures whilst this one is dedicated to an object. The Rosetta Stone is certainly something which has had a fantastic impact on our understanding of the past, having provided the key to deciphering hieroglyphics which were previously impenetrable but I got the impression that there really is not all that much to say about it, which resulted in a book which frequently went off in tangents.
It started off well with an explanation of exactly what the stone is and how it was discovered and interpreted but the book then went on to provide a potted history of academic squabbles and egyptologists which I found to be rather tedious. Some of the material was barely relevant to the topic including a section on how Yuriy Knorozov decoded the Mayan script. It was only towards the very end of the book that the narrative became a bit more interesting with a discussion of whether it would be appropriate to repatriate ancient artefacts to their countries of origin which was certainly relevant to the stone which was discovered in Egypt by the French and then acquired by British forces and eventually transferred to the British Museum in London where it has remained ever since.
On the whole, a disappointing book although those who are interested in the history of language decryption and egyptologists might find it rewarding. It does at least contain a reading list in the back if you wish to explore some of the topics referred to in the book further.
It started off well with an explanation of exactly what the stone is and how it was discovered and interpreted but the book then went on to provide a potted history of academic squabbles and egyptologists which I found to be rather tedious. Some of the material was barely relevant to the topic including a section on how Yuriy Knorozov decoded the Mayan script. It was only towards the very end of the book that the narrative became a bit more interesting with a discussion of whether it would be appropriate to repatriate ancient artefacts to their countries of origin which was certainly relevant to the stone which was discovered in Egypt by the French and then acquired by British forces and eventually transferred to the British Museum in London where it has remained ever since.
On the whole, a disappointing book although those who are interested in the history of language decryption and egyptologists might find it rewarding. It does at least contain a reading list in the back if you wish to explore some of the topics referred to in the book further.
May 4, 2011
The first few chapters dragged for me... Maybe I've just heard the information one too many times. But as I had already read a linguistics point of view, a mythological point og view, and a philological, point of view, it was nice to have a history point of view too. And it was all worth it just for the one line that made me laugh out loud, which rarely happens when reading Egyptology books. It went along the lines of: "While trying to decipher a language without bilinguals in an unknown script, pray to God to be re-made as Michael Ventris." Ah-ha. Love it.
Anyway. A good read. Nice because it was short and simple. A good historical aspect. Just prepare yourself for a lot of Champollion and Rosetta Stone madness.
Anyway. A good read. Nice because it was short and simple. A good historical aspect. Just prepare yourself for a lot of Champollion and Rosetta Stone madness.
December 5, 2015
I really should only listen to non-fiction and read fiction. I revert to high-point scanning when reading non-fiction, and that is an insult to the better books.
This book is a lovely tour through history and biography, introducing the best characters of the Rosetta Stone's history. It also touches on a lot of other cryptographical excursions into history and how the lessons learned helped with hieroglyphics, too.
This book is a lovely tour through history and biography, introducing the best characters of the Rosetta Stone's history. It also touches on a lot of other cryptographical excursions into history and how the lessons learned helped with hieroglyphics, too.
March 25, 2011
Another interesting short book (approx. 170 pages) from the Wonders of the World Series. Provides a short history of the discovery of the stone, and the persons who attempted to decipher hieroglyphics. A little preachy on mainting the status quo on the repatriation of artworks at the end, but it doesn't detract from my rating.
August 7, 2014
This is a relatively short book for the subject, but covered it very well. For someone who had virtually no knowledge of the subject, I came away with a good understanding of many aspects surrounding this stone, its history, the languages inscribed, the people who tried to decipher it.
All in all, an entertaining and instructive read.
All in all, an entertaining and instructive read.
March 31, 2017
This is a fascinating book, covering a much larger scope than I initially assumed it would based on the title. Essentially it was an easy but enjoyable read, which presented a great overview of topics related to the history of egyptology and the process of deciphering hieroglyphics.
June 7, 2010
This book is really specific. If you don't have a solid foundation of Egyptian history, it will be hard to follow. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable of Egypt, but I found it hard to follow
April 1, 2008
I love this topic, and the book tries to give an overview of the stone, those who discovered it, translated it, etc., but it was a little all over the place.
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August 27, 2008I liked finally learning why there was Greek and Egyptian on the same stone! Makes me want to go see it for myself, like the bazillion of other tourists.
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