Epochal Archaeological Breakthrough: Deciphering an Ancient Egyptian Code

15.07.2025 | Historical dates

A turning point in the history of archaeology marks the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799, which later allowed a complete understanding of ancient Egyptian writing through a revolutionary linguistic analysis.

Снимка от Ricardo Liberato, Wikimedia Commons, под CC BY-SA 2.0

The historical event that took place on July 15, 1799, occurs during Napoleon's large-scale expedition in Egypt. The French soldier Pierre-François Bouchard discovers a remarkable black basalt monument near Fort Julien fortress near the settlement of Rashid (Rosetta).

This stone inscription represents an exceptional linguistic phenomenon, containing an identical text written in three different languages. The monument becomes an invaluable key to understanding ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, which until then remained completely indecipherable for scholars.

The crucial role in decoding the mysterious writing was played by the French scholar Jean-François Champollion. His epochal achievement in 1822 opened the door to an in-depth understanding of one of the oldest civilizations in human history.