How were scholars able to translate hieroglyphic symbols?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking how scholars managed to understand and translate the symbols of Egyptian hieroglyphs. It seeks to explore the methods, discoveries, and key figures involved in this historical process.
Answer
Discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799 and Jean-François Champollion's work.
Scholars were able to translate hieroglyphic symbols with the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799 and the subsequent work by Jean-François Champollion who decoded the hieroglyphs.
Answer for screen readers
Scholars were able to translate hieroglyphic symbols with the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799 and the subsequent work by Jean-François Champollion who decoded the hieroglyphs.
More Information
The Rosetta Stone features the same text in three different scripts: Greek, Demotic, and hieroglyphic. Champollion's knowledge of Greek and Coptic Egyptian helped him recognize the phonetic aspect of hieroglyphic writing.
Tips
A common mistake is to think hieroglyphs are purely symbolic rather than a mix of phonetic and ideographic elements.
