The Keys of Egypt: The Race to Read the Hieroglyphs [Paperback]

Jean-François Champollion's biography is neatly interwoven with Napoleonic history and the functions of Egyptian hieroglyphs in The Keys of Egypt. A gifted bookseller's son born in Revolutionary France, Champollion was to become "gripped by energetic enthusiasm" for Egypt. By the age of 12, he was studying several ancient languages and amid a "wave of Egyptomania", he would beat rivals to discover the key to deciphering hieroglyphs. If this was a race, it was a marathon. The breakthrough came after "20 years of obsessive hard work", not through the quick fix solution often thought to have been provided by the Rosetta Stone. The Keys of Egypt details Champollion's life and work, which was hampered by politics, poverty and an almost hypochondriacal series of health problems. Its sources include letters and journals, the authors having undertaken researches in major libraries and museums. Chapters on Champollion's travels in Italy and Egypt include a good smattering of excerpts from his writings. Although no bibliography is given, there is a helpful passage on various levels of further reading. Highly instructive and fast-paced, The Keys of Egypt is perhaps less dramatic than it might be in portraying troubled times and ground-breaking discovery. It is, however, a clearly expressed and wide-ranging book explaining the complexity of hieroglyphic interpretation and revealing the man whose achievements "meant the discovery of a whole new civilization". --Karen Tiley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The story behind the decipherment, as told by Lesley and Roy Adkins, is a ripping tale of obsession and rivalry... The Adkins duo succeed in providing a fascinating and elegantly written biography of Champollion, doing justice to one of the great stories of academic heroism --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A taut story of 19th-century scholarly research by husband-and-wife archaeologists, with lashes of intrigue and scandal thrown in for good measure... The authors know their Egyptology, and in them Champollion has found worthy champions. Their highly readable account will be of wide interest to students of ancient history and cryptology... and to anyone who enjoys a bookish detective story --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Keys of Egypt reads like a gripping detective story, moving along at a good pace, as well as offering the reader an introduction into how hieroglyphs can be understood. This is a 'must read' for anyone interested in Egyptology --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

‘A fascinating and elegantly written biography of Champollion, doing justice to one of the great stories of academic heroism.’
Simon Singh, Sunday Telegraph

‘A fascinating account of the race to unlock the cryptic language of the pharaohs’
Giles Milton, Daily Mail

The story behind the decipherment, as told by Lesley and Roy Adkins, is a ripping tale of obsession and rivalry... The Adkins duo succeed in providing a fascinating and elegantly written biography of Champollion, doing justice to one of the great stories of academic heroism

As told by the Adkinses, Champollion's life is the stuff of a 19th-century novel... A first-rate blend of high scholarship and great narrative pace, this is one of those rare, wondrous books which turns an intellectual adventure into high drama. It deserves a huge audience

The Rosetta Stone has often been presented as if it alone made possible the reading of the past, but as Lesley and Roy Adkins show in The Keys of Egypt nothing is ever so simple... Champollion's story is a good one... One of the most enjoyable aspects of the hieroglyph story is the race between Champollion and his competitors, particularly Thomas Young

Champollion's story has long deserved to be told, and the husband-and-wife authors of The Keys of Egypt have told it extremely well, producing a fascinating account of the race to unlock the cryptic language of the pharaohs... The Keys of Egypt -- always readable and enjoyable -- is a worthy tribute to the man who named, and unlocked, the Valley of the Kings

This book offers a clear and coherent synthesis of Champollion's life, drawing on detailed research ih the fiendishly difficult task he set himself makes thrilling reading

At a quick glance, a book about the race to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphics looks about as interesting as a book about watching paint dry. But that is where you'd be wrong. This book combines wars and invasions... But it is also a tale of one man's struggle against the odds, and his final success -- always good material for a story.

The authors have done great service to Champollion. Their biography is graphic, gripping and a great read --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Adkins' narrative grips right from its electrifying opening. What might in less able hands have been a dry, impenetrable academic study is rendered as compelling as the most spellbinding fictional thriller. This is narrative history at its beguiling best in which the characters breathe and the complex is made accessible. Champollion is revealed as a real-life hero, a figure to rank alongside those remarkable Bletchley Park codebreakers from another age... An enterprising television or film producer would do well to read this book. That is, if the rights haven't already been sold! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A vivid and superbly written account of the unravelling of one of the great intellectual puzzles, set against the backdop of Europe in the Napoleonic era.

When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, his troops were astonished to discover ancient temples, tombs and statues, all covered with hieroglyphs – the last remnants of an unreadable script and a language lost in time. On their return Egyptomania spread rapidly and the quest to decipher hieroglyphs began in earnest.

Jean-Francois Champollion was obsessed with ancient languages from a very young age, and once he heard of the unreadable ancient Egyptian text he had found the challenge to which he would dedicate his life: the decipherment of hieroglyphs. Despite poverty he made gradual progress, although he had to fight against jealous enemies, both professional and political, every step of the way – a dangerous task when in post-Revolutionary France a slip of the tongue could mean ruin, exile or even death.

Failure threatened, as he was only one of many attempting to read the hieroglyphs, and his main rival, the English Thomas Young, claimed that decipherment was imminent, but Champollion refused to be distracted and finally, in 1822, he made the decisive breakthrough: he was the first person able to read the ancient Egyptian language in well over a thousand years.

This book offers a clear and coherent synthesis of Champollion's life, drawing on detailed research in a wide range of sources... it organises a huge mass of historical detail into a masterly narrative, making the intricacies of such information easily accessible to the general reader (Dr Richard Parkinson in The Times Higher Educational Supplement, 30th March, 2001) -- This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Keys of Egypt was a fascinating book to research and write, with so many different strands -- the struggle to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs and the rediscovery of ancient Egypt intertwined with the very different lives of Champollion and Young, the invasion of Egypt by Napoleon, the turbulent political situation in France, and expeditions through Italy and Egypt. The drama of the story far exceeded our expectations, a story that is at times desperately sad, exciting and exultant, but also -- we hope -- informative. We are delighted that so many people seem to be enjoying the book and that it has received such wonderful reviews.

When the French invaded Egypt in 1798, they were astonished to find countless ruins covered with hieroglyphs – remnants of a language lost in time. The quest to decipher hieroglyphs began in earnest: fame and fortune awaited the successful scholar. Amid political turmoil in France, caused by Napoleon's meteoric rise and catastrophic fall, Jean-Francois Champollion was hounded, exiled and even charged with treason, but still overcame poverty and ill-health to beat his closest rival, the English scientist Thomas Young. Having cracked the code, Champollion led an expedition through Egypt, deciphering texts unread and triumph over extreme adversity.

"The Adkins duo succeed in providing a fascinating and elegantly written biography of Champollion, doing justice to one of the great stories of intellectual heroism."
SIMON SINGH, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

"Champollon's story has long deserved to be told, and the husband-and-wife authors of 'THE KEYS OF EGYPT' have told it extremely well, producing a fascinating account of the race to unlock the cryptic language of the pharaohs… 'The Keys of Egypt', always readable and enjoyable, is a worthy tribute to the man who named, and unlocked, the valley of the Kings."
GILES MILTON, DAILY MAIL

"A compulsive account of the life of Jean-Francois Champollion… A first rate blend of high scholarship and great narrative pace, this is one of those rare, wondrous books which turns an intellectual adventure into high drama. It deserves a huge audience."
DOUGLAS KENNEDY, THE TIMES.

Husband-and-wife Lesley and Roy Adkins are both archaeologists and Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London. They have written many books on archaeological subjects and
have just completed The Little Book of Egyptian Hieroglyphs. They also run a colour picture library specialising in archaeology and history. Lesley and Roy recently moved to Devon, where they are embarking on the restoration of an extensive garden.

From 'The Beginning of Time': The house at 28 rue Mazarine, where Jean-Francois Champollion lived and carried on his research into hieroglyphs, was less than 200 yards from the Institute of France where his brother Jacques-Joseph had his office. Towards midday on 14 September 1822, Champollion covered the distance in the shortest time possible. Clutching his papers, notes and drawings, he fled along the narrow, gloomy street, around the corner and into the Institute. Not fully recovered from his latest spell of ill-health and at the highest pitch of excitement, he was already breathless as he burst into his brother's office, flung his papers on to a desk and shouted 'Je tiens l'affaire!' ('I've found it!'). Working since early morning on the latest drawings of inscriptions from Abu Simbel, he had at last seen the system underlying the seemingly unintelligible Egyptian hieroglyphs, and it was now only a matter of time before he would be able to read any hieroglyphic text. He began to explain to Jacques-Joseph what he had discovered, but only managed a few words before collapsing unconscious on the floor. For a few moments his brother feared he was dead...