THE RIDDLE OF THE ROSETTA STONE: Key to Ancient Egypt

by James Cross Giblin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 1990

The author of several excellent nonfiction children's books (e.g., Let There Be Light, 1988) presents the history and significance of the stone whose inscriptions of a single message in Greek, Demotic writing, and hieroglyphs made it possible to decode the hieroglyphs, thus opening Egypt's history to scholars. The social and intellectual history here are fascinating: Napoleon took along a crew of scholars when he conquered Egypt in 1798; when his soldiers unearthed the stone, they sent it to the scholars and searched diligently, but unsuccessfully, for its missing corners. Hampered by misconceptions, scholars took decades to realize that hieroglyphic writing combines symbols representing sound with those representing sense. Giblin, as usual, makes the quest exciting, the discoveries representative of similar endeavors. Illustrated with photos of artifacts, as well as engravings by a member of Napoleon's expedition. A handsome, inspiring book. Excerpts from the Greek version of the inscription are included. Bibliography; index.

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 96

Publisher: Crowell

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1990

Categories: CHILDREN'S