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The Rosetta Stone

60 second histories

This video covers:

The Rosetta stone, it’s discovery and its importance in helping scholars discover the meaning of the Egyptian hieroglyphics

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It’s amazing to think that the Ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for over three thousand years and only disappeared around two thousand years ago. It wasn’t until seventeen ninety-eight with Napoleon’s invasion of the country that ancient Egypt was rediscovered. It was as if ancient Egypt was suddenly awoken from a deep sleep. It was in seventeen ninety-nine that one of Napoleon’s officers, Captain Pierre Bouchard found the Rosetta stone at Rosetta in Egypt whilst he was enlarging a fort for their soldiers. The Rosetta stone was hugely important because it was carved with the same words but in two different languages, Egyptian and Greek and it had three different writing systems hieroglyphic, demotic and the Greek alphabet. The demotic alphabet having been used by later Egyptians. Now because the script carved into the Rosetta stone included the Greek alphabet, which was understood by scholars, it enabled them to unlock the hieroglyphic code. It is amazing to think that without the Rosetta stone we would hardly know anything of the ancient Egyptians or their three thousand years of history. To think the Rosetta stone was found by accident!
Eras: 
Ancient Egypt
Topics: 
Writing
Character: 
Victorian Explorer
Key words: 
Ancient Egypt, Egyptian, Egyptians, Egypt, civilization, 1798, Napoleon, invasion, 1799, Captain Pierre Bouchard, Rosetta, Rosetta Stone, Greek, hieroglyphic, demotic, Greek alphabet, alphabet, code, KS2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6, Key Stage 2 history, KS2, key stage 2, primary, KS2 videos, KS2 clips, KS2 history, KS2 videos, KS2 history film, KS2 history clip, Egypt, Egyptian, Egyptians, Ancient Egypt,