The Rosetta Stone: What Is It? - A Helpful Introduction for Kids

So the Rosetta Stone is just a big old rock with scribbles on it, right?

Wrong!

Let us tell you why this is one of the most important discoveries of all time:

The Rosetta Stone:

What is it?

The Rosetta Stone is a stele.

Okay, but what's a stele?

I'm glad you asked. "Stele" is a fancy Latin word for a stone or wooden monument from the ancient world, often inscribed, carved, or painted with words or decorations. They are often taller than they are wide and would have stood upright so passers by could read them. In the case of the Rosetta Stone, it is a stone inscribed with a message about the Pharaoh.

What does the Rosetta Stone say?

The message, inscribed on the Rosetta Stone in 196 BC, is a decree (an official message) about Pharaoh Ptolemy V. Find out more about what the Stone says and how it was translated here.

Courtesy Current World Archaeology

Where was the Rosetta Stone found?

It was found in a town called Rosetta (also known as Rashid) in the Nile Delta, which is where it got its name.

Who found it?

The stone was discovered by French soldiers on 15th July 1799. At this time, Napoleon Bonaparte was campaigning through Egypt to gain power & influence. Some of his soldiers discovered the Rosetta Stone accidently whilst digging foundations to build an extension onto a fort. Luckily, Pierre-François Bouchard, the officer in charge, recognised its importance and kept the stone safe.

Why was the stone so important?

Although the decree from the priests about Ptolemy V is interesting, its not exactly ground-breaking. What made the Rosetta Stone one of the most important discoveries of all time was that the priest's decree was written in three different forms of writing (or "scripts"). In total, the stone includes 14 lines of hieroglyphic script, 32 lines in Demotic and 53 lines in Ancient Greek script. Find out more about these forms of writing here.

Where is the stone now?

After Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat, the Rosetta Stone was shipped over to Britain where it was presented to the British Museum by King George III in 1802. The stone has been on display in the British Museum ever since (minus a few years where it was hidden in a London Underground station to stop it from being blown up by bombs in the First World War).

Can I see the Rosetta Stone?

If you can't make it to the British Museum in person, you can check out the Rosetta Stone with this awesome 3D scan hosted by the British Museum: