The Rosetta Stone
- Grey and Pink Granodioite Stele
- Circa 196 B.C.E
- Royal Decree, inscribed in three languages
- Current Location: British Museum, London
- Ownership disputed by: Egypt
The Rosetta Stone is a granodioite stele inscribed with the same decree in three separate writing languages – Egyptian hieroglyph, Demotic Egyptian, and Greek. The Greeks ruled Egypt from 305 - 30 BCE, therefore Greek and Egyptian cultures were mingled. The decree, carved in 196 BCE concerning Pharaoh Ptolemy V, is written in multiple languages so it can be read by a majority of the people as well as visiting dignitaries and priests. The stone has been the key for historians in deciphering Egyptian Hieroglyphics.
In 1798, the French occupied Egypt in an attempt to seize control of trade in the region. In 1799, while expanding Fort Julien near Rosetta, Egypt, the stone was discovered by French Army Engineer Pierre-Francois Bouchard. When the French were defeated by the British in 1801, all of the antiquities that the French had discovered were seized, including the Rosetta Stone. The stone was shipped to England, where it has been on display at The British Museum since 1802.
In 2003, The Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo began a campaign for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt. They assert that the French acquired the stone in an act of war and therefore it was not their property. In 2008, a British Official responded in parliament that the stone would not be returned. The Brits maintain that it was legitimately obtained from the French with their agreement in 1801. In the meantime, The British Museum has sent Egypt a life-sized replica of the stone.
The Egyptians have agreed to drop their claim if The British Museum would loan them the stone, but as of 2017 The Rosetta Stone has not left London.
In 1798, the French occupied Egypt in an attempt to seize control of trade in the region. In 1799, while expanding Fort Julien near Rosetta, Egypt, the stone was discovered by French Army Engineer Pierre-Francois Bouchard. When the French were defeated by the British in 1801, all of the antiquities that the French had discovered were seized, including the Rosetta Stone. The stone was shipped to England, where it has been on display at The British Museum since 1802.
In 2003, The Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo began a campaign for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt. They assert that the French acquired the stone in an act of war and therefore it was not their property. In 2008, a British Official responded in parliament that the stone would not be returned. The Brits maintain that it was legitimately obtained from the French with their agreement in 1801. In the meantime, The British Museum has sent Egypt a life-sized replica of the stone.
The Egyptians have agreed to drop their claim if The British Museum would loan them the stone, but as of 2017 The Rosetta Stone has not left London.