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Most people think they know the story of the Rosetta Stone and how scholars used it to translate Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. However, most accounts are fragmentary and lack the full chronology. This new and definitive version by Jonathan Downs brings together the full account from Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt in 1798 up to today's wrangles for ownership of this internationally famous artefact. There is an excellent account of the military conquest of Egypt followed by a tale of intrigue which saw English agents indulging in skulduggery to ensure that the precious stone went to London rather than Paris. Throughout the narrative, the pace never slackens and the reader often has to remind himself that this is a factual account and not a fictional adventure story. --Classic Arms and Militaria magazine
Review
What at first might seem to be a book relating to an archaeological find - a very important one at that - turns out to be a mix of military history and the mysteries of Ancient Egypt. And a fascinating book it is too.
Jonathan Downs's comprehensive account of the modern story of the Rosetta Stone takes in a great sweep of Napoleonic history and intrigue. It is a chronicle of one of the most famous artefacts in the world and how it came to rest in the British Museum in London and not in the Louvre in Paris. Most people know of the significance of the Rosetta Stone and its part in helping to unravel the mysteries of Egyptian hieroglyphics. What is less well known is how the Stone was discovered and how it was wrenched from the French and transported to England.
The book begins with Napoleon's campaign in Egypt. His army was accompanied by a corps of hand-picked scientists, artists, naturalists, geographers and engineers with a view to seizing not only the country for France, but also to rediscover the lost civilisation of the Nile. At first all went well with the French capturing Alexandria and the surrounding region. Many new finds were made, one of which was at Rosetta where a dark polished stone bearing three inscriptions in Greek, demotic and ancient hieroglyphs was uncovered by engineers. This was clearly a find of the greatest importance with relation to the ancient land and one which attracted a great deal of interest.
Before the author gets to the later story of the stone - its capture and passage to England, its significance to historians and the effort to decipher its secrets (a race between the British Thomas Young and the French linguist Jean-François Champollion) - he gives a good account of the military struggle and of the antagonism between Britain and France as they tried to seize power in the Middle East. From that point of view the book is a good history of the Egyptian campaigns of the late eighteenth century.
Jonathan Down's narrative style is easy to read and has an exciting pace. His research seems to have been spot on for the text is full of quotes and references that give his opinions some veracity. From a purely military perspective, the book has to share its contents with the wider historical subjects relating to the Stone.
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