Two of the texts are different scripts for the same language.
The famous Rosetta Stone is a black granite slab inscribed with three ancient texts — two Egyptian and one Greek. It ultimately helped researchers decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, whose meaning had eluded historians for centuries. But why did ancient scribes include three different kinds of writing, or scripts, on this iconic stone in the first place?
The stone isn't complete, however; it's a broken part of a larger slab. But even though it's missing a big chunk of the hieroglyphs from its long-lost top section, the stone has the same message carved into it in three different kinds of writing — ancient Greek; Egyptian hieroglyphs; and Egyptian demotic script — a cursive script that Egyptians used between the seventh century B.C. and the fifth century A.D., according to Britannica .
The message on the Rosetta Stone was likely written by a council of priests in the Egyptian city of Memphis, an ancient capital about 15.5 miles south of Cairo, according to Britannica . The priests carved the stone in 196 B.C., during the ninth year of the reign of Ptolemy V Epiphanes , who inherited the throne at age 5 and was officially crowned at age 13. It celebrates his coronation as ruler of Egypt.
The context in which the decree was inscribed sheds light on why it was written in three different scripts, Scalf said. When the priests assembled in Memphis to carve the stone, the political situation in Egypt was complicated.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why Extreme Heat Is So DeadlyHeat waves kill more people than any other type of severe weather in the U.S. And climate change is making them more frequent and unpredictable.
Read more »
Why Losing Bonds Sports FansFrom the Archives: A study on team loyalty among British football fans shows that the ranking of the club plays an important role in how strongly supporters identify with one another.
Read more »
Why the Respect for Marriage Act may passOPINION: On Tuesday, the House passed a same-sex marriage bill with every Democrat and 47 Republicans supporting. This contrasts with the Democrats' embrace in the 1990s of legislation defining marriage as only between a man and woman.
Read more »
Why Restaurant Owners Are Increasingly Providing Knives to Their Kitchen StaffProviding cooks with kitchen knives is a way to open up the industry, especially for workers of marginalized backgrounds
Read more »
Why Is It Normal For You To Worry About Retirement Before You Retire?What’s the best way to overcome the fear of uncertainty that retirement brings? It helps to know the sources of that fear. This will guide you as you fill in the blank retirement often presents.
Read more »
Keanu Reeves Explains Why BRZRKR Is Getting Live-Action Movie & Anime ShowAt SDCC's BRZRKR panel, Keanu Reeves spoke about his comic's planned anime adaptation and explains why it is getting a movie and a series.
Read more »