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Rosetta Stone Timeline

(196 BC - Present)

The Rosetta Stone is a granodiorite stele inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis, Egypt, in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts: Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic script, and Ancient Greek. Because the same text is repeated in all three, the stone provided the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs after it was discovered by French soldiers in 1799 near the town of Rosetta (Rashid). It has been displayed in the British Museum since 1802 and remains one of the most important artifacts for understanding ancient Egyptian civilization. Less

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Decipherment Efforts

Horapollo writes Hieroglyphica

400 - 499

In the 5th century, the priest Horapollo wrote Hieroglyphica, an explanation of almost 200 glyphs, one of the earliest surviving attempts to explain Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Image source: Monas Hieroglyphica

Horapollo writes Hieroglyphica

Arab historians attempt decipherment

800 - 999

Later attempts at decipherment were made by Arab historians in medieval Egypt during the 9th and 10th centuries, though these efforts proved fruitless.

Image source: Rosetta Stone

Arab historians attempt decipherment

European scholars fail to decipher hieroglyphs

1500 - 1699

The study of hieroglyphs continued with fruitless attempts at decipherment by European scholars, notably Pierius Valerianus in the 16th century and Athanasius Kircher in the 17th. Kircher called the script the riddle of the Sphinx.

Recognition that the stone holds three versions of one text

1799

A major advance in decoding came with recognition that the stone offered three versions of the same text in Greek, Demotic, and hieroglyphic scripts.

Silvestre de Sacy receives early print of the stone

1801

French Orientalist Antoine-Isaac Silvestre de Sacy received one of the early lithographic prints of the Rosetta Stone from Jean-Antoine Chaptal, French minister of the Interior, while discussing decipherment work with Åkerblad.

Image source: Antoine Isaac Silvestre de Sacy

Silvestre de Sacy receives early print of the stone

Lithographic copies reach Institut de France

1801

Meanwhile, two of the lithographic copies made in Egypt had reached the Institut de France in Paris in 1801, allowing European scholars to begin studying the texts.

De Sacy and Åkerblad identify names in Demotic text

1802

In 1802, Silvestre de Sacy reported identifying five names (Alexandros, Alexandreia, Ptolemaios, Arsinoe, and Epiphanes), while Åkerblad published an alphabet of 29 letters, more than half correct, from the Greek names in the Demotic text — showing the Demotic used phonetic characters for foreign names.

Image source: Johan David Åkerblad

De Sacy and Åkerblad identify names in Demotic text

Weston presents English translation at Society of Antiquaries

Apr 1802

Stephen Weston verbally presented an English translation of the Greek text at a Society of Antiquaries meeting in April 1802. The stone was first seen and discussed there at a meeting on 11 March 1802.

Image source: Society of Antiquaries of London

Weston presents English translation at Society of Antiquaries

First complete translation of the Greek text published

1803

Study of the decree was already underway when the first complete translation of the Greek text was published in 1803. Ameilhon produced the first published translations in Latin and French, while Christian Gottlob Heyne in Göttingen published a more reliable Latin translation at almost the same moment.

Young begins correspondence with Champollion

1814

In 1814, Thomas Young first exchanged correspondence about the stone with Jean-François Champollion, a teacher at Grenoble who had produced a scholarly work on ancient Egypt. That same year, Young recognised that the hieroglyphic text used phonetic characters for foreign names and had pervasive similarities to the Demotic.

Young's insights appear in Encyclopædia Britannica

1819

Young's new insights were prominent in the long article 'Egypt' that he contributed to the Encyclopædia Britannica in 1819.

Image source: Thomas Young (scientist)

Young's insights appear in Encyclopædia Britannica

Champollion announces transliteration of Egyptian scripts

1822

Jean-François Champollion announced the transliteration of the Egyptian scripts in Paris in 1822, after seeing copies of the Philae obelisk inscriptions noting the names Ptolemaios and Kleopatra. His Lettre à M. Dacier acknowledged Young's work, though incompletely according to British critics.

Image source: Jean-François Champollion

Champollion announces transliteration of Egyptian scripts

Champollion confirms phonetic reading of pharaohs' names

1823 - 1824

Champollion's hypothesis that similar phonetic characters occurred in both Greek and Egyptian names was confirmed in 1823, when he identified the names of pharaohs Ramesses and Thutmose written in cartouches at Abu Simbel, establishing that phonetic characters also spelled native Egyptian words (1822–1824).

Browne accuses Champollion of plagiarism

1823 - 1827

James Browne anonymously contributed review articles to the Edinburgh Review in 1823 praising Young's work and alleging that the 'unscrupulous' Champollion plagiarised it. These articles were translated by Julius Klaproth and published in book form in 1827. Young's own 1823 publication reasserted his contribution.

Image source: Edinburgh Review

Browne accuses Champollion of plagiarism

Deaths of Young and Champollion

1829 - 1832

The early deaths of Young (1829) and Champollion (1832) did not put an end to disputes over credit for decipherment. After Champollion's death, scholars continued developing the ability to read Ancient Egyptian inscriptions and literature confidently.

Letronne completes commentary on the Greek text

1841

After Champollion's sudden death stalled Letronne's work, missing drafts were found among the papers of François Salvolini after his death in 1838 — incidentally demonstrating that Salvolini's 1837 publication was plagiarism. Letronne completed his commentary and new French translation, which appeared in 1841, arguing the Greek version was the original.

Image source: Jean-Antoine Letronne

Letronne completes commentary on the Greek text

First English translation of the decree

1858

The first English translation followed in 1858, the work of three members of the Philomathean Society at the University of Pennsylvania.

Image source: Philomathean Society

First English translation of the decree

Discovery and Capture

Stone incorporated into Fort Qaitbay fortress

1470

Later it was incorporated in the foundations of a fortress constructed by the Mameluke Sultan Qaitbay to defend the Bolbitine branch of the Nile at Rashid. There it lay for at least another three centuries until its rediscovery.

French Army of the Orient invades Egypt

1798

Led by Napoleon, the French Army of the Orient invaded Egypt in 1798, bringing with it scholars and scientists who would document the country's antiquities.

Image source: French campaign in Egypt and Syria

French Army of the Orient invades Egypt

Discovery of the Rosetta Stone at Rosetta

Jul 1799

In mid-July 1799, French soldiers under Colonel d'Hautpoul were strengthening the defences of Fort Julien near Rosetta when Pierre-François Bouchard found the stone. It was listed as 'found at Rosetta' in a contemporary catalogue of artefacts discovered by the French expedition.

Napoleon abandons his troops in Egypt

Aug 1799

Napoleon returned to Europe in August 1799, abandoning his troops in Egypt shortly after the stone's discovery.

Image source: Napoleon

Napoleon abandons his troops in Egypt

Stone surrendered to British under Capitulation of Alexandria

1801

When the British defeated the French, they took the stone to London under the terms of the Capitulation of Alexandria in 1801. It appears as 'found at Rosetta' in the contemporary catalogue of artefacts surrendered to British troops.

Image source: Capitulation of Alexandria (1801)

Stone surrendered to British under Capitulation of Alexandria

British forces land at Abu Qir Bay

Mar 1801

In March 1801, British forces landed at Abu Qir Bay, beginning the campaign that would end French occupation of Egypt.

Stone arrives in Portsmouth aboard HMS Égyptienne

Feb 1802

Turner brought the stone to England aboard the captured French frigate HMS Égyptienne, landing in Portsmouth in February 1802.

Image source: French frigate Égyptienne

Stone arrives in Portsmouth aboard HMS Égyptienne

Museum Display

Plaster casts sent to universities

1802

In 1802, the Society of Antiquaries created four plaster casts of the inscriptions, which were given to the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh and to Trinity College Dublin.

Stone goes on display at the British Museum

Jun 1802

Before the end of 1802, the stone was transferred to the British Museum, where it is located today. It has been exhibited almost continuously there since June 1802 and is the most visited object in the museum.

Image source: British Museum

Stone goes on display at the British Museum

Stone moved to sculpture gallery; given inventory number EA 24

1834 - 1847

The Rosetta Stone was transferred to the sculpture gallery in 1834 shortly after Montagu House was demolished. During the middle of the 19th century it was given the inventory number 'EA 24'. By 1847 it was found necessary to place it in a protective frame despite attendants ensuring visitors did not touch it.

Stone moved to safety during First World War bombing fears

1917

The museum was concerned about heavy bombing in London towards the end of the First World War in 1917, and the Rosetta Stone was moved to safety along with other portable objects of value.

Stone displayed at the Louvre with Champollion's Lettre

Oct 1972

Other than during wartime, the Rosetta Stone has left the British Museum only once: for one month in October 1972, to be displayed alongside Champollion's Lettre at the Louvre in Paris on the 150th anniversary of the letter's publication.

Image source: Lettre à M. Dacier

Stone displayed at the Louvre with Champollion's Lettre

Conservation reveals original appearance of the stone

1999

These additions were removed when the stone was cleaned in 1999, revealing the original dark grey tint of the rock, the sparkle of its crystalline structure, and a pink vein running across the top left corner. The work was done in the gallery so the stone remained visible to the public.

Stone displayed in specially built case in Sculpture Gallery

2004

Since 2004 the conserved stone has been on display in a specially built case in the centre of the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery. A touchable replica is available in the King's Library, appearing as it would have to early 19th-century visitors.

Cultural Legacy

Figurative use of 'Rosetta Stone' enters dictionaries

1902 - 1979

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first figurative use of the term appeared in the 1902 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. H. G. Wells used it in his 1933 novel The Shape of Things to Come, and in 1979 Theodore Hänsch wrote that the hydrogen spectrum 'has proven to be the Rosetta Stone of modern physics'.

Repatriation Debates

Zahi Hawass calls for return of the stone to Egypt

Jul 2003

Calls for the Rosetta Stone to be returned to Egypt were made in July 2003 by Zahi Hawass, then Secretary-General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Image source: Zahi Hawass

Zahi Hawass calls for return of the stone to Egypt

British Museum presents replica to Egypt

2005

In 2005, the British Museum presented Egypt with a full-sized fibreglass colour-matched replica of the stele.

Hawass proposes loan in exchange for dropping claim

Nov 2005 - Dec 2009

In November 2005, Hawass suggested a three-month loan while reiterating the eventual goal of permanent return. In December 2009, he proposed dropping his claim if the British Museum lent the stone to Egypt for three months for the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza in 2013.

Image source: Grand Egyptian Museum

Hawass proposes loan in exchange for dropping claim

Hawass reiterates demands for repatriation

Aug 2022

In August 2022, Zahi Hawass reiterated his previous demands for the Rosetta Stone to be returned to Egypt.

Key Facts

  1. The Rosetta Stone was created in 196 BC during the reign of Ptolemy V Epiphanes, recording a priestly decree affirming his royal cult.
  2. It was rediscovered in July 1799 by French soldiers of Napoleon's expedition near the town of Rosetta (Rashid) in the Nile Delta.
  3. The stone features the same text in three scripts: hieroglyphic, Demotic, and Ancient Greek, which enabled scholars to compare them.
  4. Jean-François Champollion announced the successful decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs in 1822, largely using the Rosetta Stone as his key.
  5. Since 1802, the stone has been housed in the British Museum in London, where it remains one of the museum's most visited objects.

Source

This Rosetta Stone timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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