•F·u.N·k.I·s.T´a ღ F`l·O.r·I.s·T.a•

In 1799 a group of French engineers, mending the walls of an old fort during Napoleon's military campaign discovered the Rosetta Stone in the ancient port of al-Rashid (Rosetta). The irregularly shaped granite stone weighing 762 kilograms became the key to unlocking the secrets of ancient Egypt. Scientists realized its value immediately, as the on the stone was written in three languages: ancient hieroglyphs, demotic (a later dialect of ancient Egyptian, written in cursive form), and Greek. After two years, the British forced the French out of Egypt and the Rosetta Stone ended up in the British Museum. However, it was a Frenchman, Francois Champollion, who deciphered the Rosetta Stone. Probably he never saw the actual stone but relied on lithographic-style prints made from it and succeeded in deciphering the hieroglyphs in 1822.

Champollion had been a precocious child. By the age of 13, he had learned Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, Chinese, and Coptic. A great scholar and admirer of the Egyptian people, he set his genius on deciphering the hieroglyphs. Following his success in deciphering hieroglyphs in 1822, the French king Louis XVIII rewarded him a gold box, after which Champollion did visit Egypt, staying for two years. He died in France at the early age of 42.