The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone is a large, dark stone with writing on it. It was made in Egypt more than 2,000 years ago. The same message is written on it in three different ways. This helped people learn how to read ancient Egyptian picture writing. It is one of the most important finds in history.

How It Was Found

French soldiers found the stone in 1799 near a town called Rosetta. It was built into an old wall. The stone was covered with tiny carvings. People knew right away it was special. Later, it was taken to a museum in England.

An ancient Egyptian stone carved with special picture writing.
An ancient Egyptian stone carved with special picture writing. (Keith Schengili-Roberts / Wikimedia Commons)

Cracking the Code

For a long time, no one could read Egyptian hieroglyphs. The Rosetta Stone had the same words in Greek, which scholars knew. A smart French man named Jean-Francois Champollion studied it for years. He finally figured out the picture writing. Now we can read many old Egyptian stories.

Fun Facts

  • The Rosetta Stone weighs about 1,700 pounds.
  • The three scripts on it are hieroglyphs, Demotic, and Greek.
  • It is one of the most visited items in the British Museum.

Did You Know?

The writing on the stone is just a message about a new king named Ptolemy V.