THOMAS YOUNG AND THE ROSETTA STONE
Two hundred years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte sent an army to invade the coastline of Egypt, which they successfully did. But the British fleet attacked their ships at the battle of the Nile, which left the French army stranded. Bonaparte had not only sent soldiers but also archaeologists on this adventure and while they were marooned in Egypt, they discovered a large stone embedded in the fortified walls surrounding a village called Rosetta.
The stone was important because it had been inscribed with a decree written in three languages, Egyptian of the people, Greek and most importantly the secret text of the Pharaohs, hieroglyphics. The French recognised this as the potential clue, that would allow them to read the hieroglyphics.
The British government led by Pitt the younger, decided to send Lord Abercrombie on an expedition to remove the French from Egypt. The chief medical officer was Doctor Thomas Young. The battles that ensued saw the British victorious and one of the spoils of war was the Rosetta stone. This is why it is housed in the British Museum today.
On Dr. Young’s retirement from the army he bought himself a plot of land in Peebles known as Acrefield, he built himself a house and named it Rosetta after his adventures in Egypt. He then spent many years studying the stone and finally succeeded in deciphering the hieroglyphics, although a French man, with whom he was corresponding made claim to being the first. From this new found ability to read the language of the Pharaohs, many of the tombs were eventually discovered.
Two hundred years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte sent an army to invade the coastline of Egypt, which they successfully did. But the British fleet attacked their ships at the battle of the Nile, which left the French army stranded. Bonaparte had not only sent soldiers but also archaeologists on this adventure and while they were marooned in Egypt, they discovered a large stone embedded in the fortified walls surrounding a village called Rosetta.The British government led by Pitt the younger, decided to send Lord Abercrombie on an expedition to remove the French from Egypt. The chief medical officer was Doctor Thomas Young. The battles that ensued saw the British victorious and one of the spoils of war was the Rosetta stone. This is why it is housed in the British Museum today.On Dr. Young’s retirement from the army he bought himself a plot of land in Peebles known as Acrefield, he built himself a house and named it Rosetta after his adventures in Egypt. He then spent many years studying the stone and finally succeeded in deciphering the hieroglyphics, although a French man, with whom he was corresponding made claim to being the first. From this new found ability to read the language of the Pharaohs, many of the tombs were eventually discovered.

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