EpisodeTranscriptEpisode33RosettaStone

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RosettaStone(erectedin196BC)foundatalRashid,Egypt
EverydayIwalkthroughtheEgyptiansculpturegalleryattheBritishMuseum,andeverydaytherearetour
guides,speakingeveryimaginablelanguage,addressinggroupsofvisitorswhoarecraningtoseetheobjectthatI
willbetalkingaboutinthisprogramme.
Itisoneveryvisitor'sitineraryand,withthemummies,itisthemostpopularobjectintheBritishMuseum.Why?To
lookat,itisdecidedlydullitisagreystone,aboutthesizeofoneofthoselargesuitcasesyouseepeople
trundlingaroundonwheelsatairports,andtheroughedgesshowthatit'sbeenbrokenfromalargerstone,with
thefracturescuttingacrossthetextthatcoversoneside.Andwhenyoureadthattext,it'sprettydulltooit's
mostlybureaucraticjargonabouttaxconcessions.But,assooftenintheBritishMuseum,appearancesare
deceiving,becausethisdrearybitofbrokengranitehasplayedastarringroleinthreefascinatinganddifferent
stories:thestoryoftheGreekkingswhoruledinAlexandriaafterAlexandertheGreatconqueredEgyptthestory
oftheFrenchandBritishimperialcompetitionacrosstheMiddleEastafterNapoleoninvadedEgyptandthe
extraordinarybutpeacefulscholarlycontestthatledtothemostfamousdeciphermentinhistorythecrackingof
hieroglyphics.
"IntheMemphisDecree,wefindaGreekviewoftheworldinEgyptianterms."(DorothyThompson).
"Ithinkit'squiteweird.Whyyouwouldputthissortofstatement,whichisbasicallyastatementoftaxexemption,
onsuchaheavystone!Itis760kilograms.Whydidtheydothat?"(AhdafSoueif)
Thisisaweekofobjectsconnectedtoshiftingempiresandlegendaryrulers,fromAlexandertheGreattothe
EmperorAugustus.Overtwothousandyearsago,fromtheMediterraneanandtheMiddleEasttoIndiaandChina,
theseleadersfounddifferentwaysofphysicallyprojectingtheirpowerandtheirauthority.Today'sprogrammeis
particularlyfascinatingthough,becauseit'saspecialcase.It'saboutarulerwhoisnotstrongbutweak,akingwho
hastobargainforandprotecthispowerbyborrowingtheinvinciblestrengthofthegodsor,moreprecisely,the
priests.We'reinEgypt,withPtolemyV,aGreekboykingwhocametothethroneasanorphanin205BC,atthe
ageofsix.
PtolemyVwasbornintoagreatdynasty.ThefirstPtolemywasoneofAlexandertheGreat'sgeneralswho,around
ahundredyearsearlier,hadtakenoverEgyptfollowingAlexander'sdeath.ThePtolemiesdidn'ttroubletolearn
Egyptian,theysimplymadealltheirofficialsspeakGreek,andsoGreekwouldbethelanguageofstate
administrationinEgyptforathousandyears.Perhapstheirgreatestachievementwastomaketheircapitalcity
AlexandriaintothemostbrilliantmetropolisoftheGreekspeakingworldforcenturiesitwassecondonlyto
Rome.Itwasacosmopolitanmagnetforgoods,peopleandideas.ThevastLibraryofAlexandriawasbuiltbythe
Ptolemiesinit,theyplannedtocollectalltheworld'sknowledge.AndPtolemiesIandIIcreatedthefamous
Pharoslighthouse,whichbecameoneoftheSevenWondersoftheWorld.Suchalively,diversecityneeded
strongleadership.WhenPtolemyV'sfatherdiedsuddenly,leavingtheboyasking,thedynastyanditscontrolof
Egyptlookedfragile.Theboy'smotherwaskilled,thepalacewasstormedbysoldiers,andtherewererevolts
throughoutthecountrywhichdelayedtheyoungPtolemy'scoronationforyears.
ItwasinthesevolatilecircumstancesthatPtolemyVissuedtheRosettaStone,andotherslikeit.TheStoneisnot
uniquethereareanother17similarinscriptionsquitelikeit,allinthreelanguagesandallproclaimingthe
greatnessofthePtolemies.ThesewereputupinmajortemplecomplexesacrossEgypt.
TheRosettaStonewasmadein196BC,onthefirstanniversaryofthecoronationofPtolemyV,bythena
teenager.It'sadecreeissuedbyEgyptianpriests,ostensiblytomarkthecoronationandtodeclarePtolemy'snew
statusasalivinggoddivinitywentwiththejobofbeingapharaoh.ThepriestshadgivenPtolemyafullEgyptian
coronationatthesacredcityofMemphis,andthisgreatlystrengthenedhispositionastherightfulrulerofEgypt.
Buttherewasatradeoff.Ptolemymayhavebecomeagod,buttogettherehe'dhadtonegotiatesomevery
unheavenlypoliticswithhisextremelypowerfulEgyptianpriests.DorothyThompson,EmeritusProfessorat
CambridgeUniversity,explains:
"Theoccasionwhichresultedinthisdecreewasinsomerespectsachange.Therehadbeenpreviousdecrees,
andtheytakemuchthesameform,butinthisparticularreignthereignofaveryyoungkingwhosekingdomwas
underattackfrommanyquartersoneoftheclausesoftheMemphisDecree,theRosettaStone,isthatpriests

underattackfrommanyquartersoneoftheclausesoftheMemphisDecree,theRosettaStone,isthatpriests
shouldnolongercomeeveryyeartoAlexandriaAlexandriawasthenewGreekcapital.Insteadtheycouldmeet
atMemphis,theoldcentreofEgypt.Thiswasnewanditmaybeseenperhapsasaconcessiononthepartofthe
Royalhousehold."
ThepriestswerecriticalinkeepingtheheartsandmindsoftheEgyptianmassesonsideforPtolemy,andthe
RosettaStonewastheirreward.NotonlydoesthedecreeallowtheprieststoremaininMemphis,ratherthan
comingtoAlexandria,italsogivesthemanumberofveryattractivetaxbreaks.Ofcoursenoteenagerislikelyto
havethoughtthisup,somebodybehindthethronewasclearlythinkingstrategicallyontheboy'sbehalfand,more
importantly,onthedynasty'sbehalf.Sothestoneissimultaneouslyanexpressionofpowerandofcompromise,
althoughtoreadthewholecontentisaboutasthrillingasreadinganewEUtreatywrittensimultaneouslyin
severallanguages.Thecontentisbureaucratic,priestlyanddrybutthatofcourseisnotthepoint.
WhatmattersabouttheRosettastoneisnotwhatitsaysbutthatitsaysitthreetimesandinthreedifferent
languages.InClassicalGreek,thelanguageoftheGreekrulersandthestateadministration,andthenintwo
formsofAncientEgyptiantheeverydaywritingofthepeopleknownasDemotic,andthepriestlyhieroglyphics
whichhadforcenturiesbaffledEuropeans.ItwastheRosettaStonethatchangedallthatandwhilethetextofthe
stoneitselfisprettyunexciting,itdramaticallyopeneduptheentireworldofAncientEgypt.
BythetimeoftheRosettaStone,196BC,hieroglyphswerenolongeringeneraluse,theywereusedand
understoodonlybythepriestsinthetemples.Fivehundredyearslater,eventhisrestrictedknowledgeofhowto
readandwritethemhaddisappearedthescriptofAncientEgyptwaslost.
TheRosettaStonesurvivedunreadthroughtwothousandyearsoffurtherforeignoccupationsRomans,
Byzantines,Persians,MuslimArabsandOttomanTurks,allhadstretchesofruleinEgypt.Atsomepointthestone
wasmovedfromthetempleatSaisintheNileDelta,wherewethinkitwasfirsterected,toelRashid,orthetown
ofRosettaaswenowknowit,about40milesaway.Then,in1798,Napoleonarrived.TheFrenchinvasionwasnot
onlymilitarybutintellectual.WiththeFrencharmycamescholars.SoldiersrebuildingfortificationsinRosettadug
upthestoneandthescholarsknewimmediatelythattheyhadfoundsomethingofgreatsignificance.
TheFrenchtookthestoneasaculturaltrophyofwar,butitnevermadeitbacktoParis.PursuedbyNelson,
Napoleonwasdefeated,andin1801thetermsoftheTreatyofAlexandria,signedbytheFrench,Britishand
Egyptiangenerals,includedthehandingoverofantiquitiesandtheRosettaStonewasoneofthem.
MostbookswilltellyouthattherearethreelanguagesontheRosettaStone,butifyoulookonthebrokenside,
youcanseethatinfacttherearefour.Becausethere,stencilledoninEnglish,youcanread:"CAPTUREDBYTHE
BRITISHARMYIN1801PRESENTEDBYKINGGEORGEIII".Nothingcouldmakeitclearerthatifthetextonthe
frontofthestoneisaboutthefirstEuropeanempireinAfrica,AlexandertheGreat's,thefindingofthestone
standsatthebeginningofanotherEuropeanadventurethebitterrivalrybetweenBritainandFrancefor
dominanceintheMiddleEastandinAfrica,whichhadcontinuedfromNapoleonuntiltheSecondWorldWar.We
askedtheEgyptianwriterAhdafSoueifforherviewofthishistory:
"ThisstonesomakesmethinkofhowoftenEgypthasbeenthetheatreofotherpeoples'battles.It'soneofthe
earliestobjectsthroughwhichyoucantraceWesterncolonialinterestinEgypt,becauseofcourseitwasfoundby
theFrenchinthecontextofNapoleon'sinvasionofthecountry,andthenappropriatedbytheBritishwhenthey
defeatedhim,andtheFrenchandtheBritisharguedoverit.Nooneseemstohaveconsideredthatitbelongedto
neitherofthem.ButEgypt'sforeignrulers,fromtheRomanstotheTurkstotheBritish,havealwaysmadefree
withEgypt'sheritage.Egypt,fortwothousandyears,hadforeignrulersandin'52muchwasmadeofthefactthat
NasserwasthefirstEgyptianrulersincethepharaohs,andIguesswe'vehadtwomoresince,althoughwith
varyingresults."
TheStonewasbroughtbacktotheBritishMuseumandimmediatelyputondisplayinthepublicdomain,freely
availableforeveryscholarintheworldtoseeandcopiesandtranscriptionswerepublishedworldwide.European
scholarsnowsetaboutthetaskofunderstandingthemysterioushieroglyphicscript.TheGreekinscriptionwasthe
onethateveryscholarcouldread,andwasthereforeseentobethekey.Buteverybodywasstuck.Abrilliant
Englishphysicistandpolymath,ThomasYoung,correctlyworkedoutthatagroupofhieroglyphsrepeatedseveral
timesontheRosettaStonewrotethesoundsofaroyalnamethatofPtolemy.Itwasacrucialfirststep,but
Younghadn'tquitecrackedthecode.AFrenchscholar,JeanFranoisChampollion,thenrealisedthatnotonlythe
symbolsforPtolemybutallthehieroglyphswerebothpictorial'and'phonetictheyrecordedthe'sound'ofthe
Egyptianlanguage.Forexampleonthelastlineofthehieroglyphictextonthestone,threesignsspelloutthe
soundsofthewordfor'stoneslab'inEgyptian'ahaj',andthenafourthsigngivesapictureshowingthestoneas

soundsofthewordfor'stoneslab'inEgyptian'ahaj',andthenafourthsigngivesapictureshowingthestoneas
itwouldoriginallyhavelooked:asquareslabwitharoundedtop.Sosoundandpictureworktogether.
By1822,Champollionhadfinallyworkedthewholethingout.Fromnowontheworldcouldputwordstothegreat
objectsthestatuesandthemonuments,themummiesandthepapyriofAncientEgyptiancivilisation.
BythetimeoftheRosettaStone,EgypthadalreadybeenunderGreekruleforoverahundredyears,andthe
Ptolemies'dynastywouldlastforanother150.ThedynastyendedinfamouslywiththereignofCleopatraVII'the'
CleopatrawhobeguiledandseducedbothJuliusCaesarandMarkAnthony.ButwiththedeathofAnthonyand
Cleopatra,EgyptwasconqueredbyAugustus,whoseimageI'llbetalkingaboutlaterthisweek,andtheEgyptof
thePtolemiesbecamepartoftheRomanEmpire.
Inthenextprogramme,I'llbeinRome'sgreatcontemporaryChinalookingathowtheHanDynastyoperateda
superstate,andexpandedtheirfrontiers,whilekeepingclosecontrolovereveryaspectofsociety.Allthisthrough
alacquercup!

RosettaStone
Listentotheprogrammeandfindoutmore.