Probably one of the most important discoveries made regarding the historical and cultural study of ancient Egypt is the translation of the form of writing known as hieroglyphs. This language, lost for thousands of years, constituted an attractive challenge for the young Jean François who dedicated his life to its translation. Scholars such as Sylvestre de Sacy had attempted to translate the Rosetta Stone before Champollion, but after painstaking and fruitless work, they had abandoned it (Giblin 32). Champollion's breakthrough with the hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone opened up new possibilities for studying and understanding ancient Egypt like never before, and modern Egyptology was born. The Rosetta Stone was found in the city of Rosetta and sent to French scholars in Alexandria during the summer of 1799. (Giblin 23). This black stone, measuring 112 x 76, found while the city's soldiers were destroying a citadel, was unprecedented because it reported three different languages, the only one included was Greek (Silet 1). The three languages ​​on the stone were, as stated, Greek, Common Demotic Egyptian, and 14 lines of hieroglyphics (Giblin 27). Scholars familiar with the Greek language and writing system were able to translate that section, and the final sentence revealed a fact that set the stage for future translations of the other parts. The last line reads, “This decree shall be inscribed upon a stele of hard stone in sacred, native, and Greek characters” (Giblin 27). It was understood that the three sections all contained the same message and the scholars immediately went to work on the translations. One of the first to work with copies made from the stone (the English had taken the stone during the war with the English) French) with...... half of the sheet ......and historical scholars. Although the Rosetta Stone remains in London, France triumphantly stands out as the country responsible for the man who made its translation and the rejuvenation of Egyptology possible. Works Cited1. Giblin, James. The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone. New York: Harper Trophy, 1990. Print2. Meyerson, Daniele. The Linguist and the Emperor: Napoleon and Champollion's Quest to Decipher the Rosetta Stone Westminster, MD: Ballantine Books, 2004. Web.3. Robinson, Andrea. "Code Breaker's Secret Diaries: Rediscovering Ancient Egypt." History Today 60.1 (2010): 57-58. Network. 15 February 2012.4. Silet, Charles LP “The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt.” Book review Magill (2007). Web 15 February 2012.5. Champollion: Egyptian Hieroglyphs Deciphered: A Film. Director Jean Vidal. Magic Films and International Film Bureau, 1979. VHS.