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The Riddle of the Rosetta - How an English Polymath and a French Polyglot Discovered the Meaning of Egyptian Hieroglyphs (Hardcover) Loot Price: R1,146
Discovery Miles 11 460
The Riddle of the Rosetta - How an English Polymath and a French Polyglot Discovered the Meaning of Egyptian Hieroglyphs...

The Riddle of the Rosetta - How an English Polymath and a French Polyglot Discovered the Meaning of Egyptian Hieroglyphs (Hardcover)

Jed Z. 'Buchwald, Diane Greco Josefowicz

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Loot Price R1,146 Discovery Miles 11 460 | Repayment Terms: R107 pm x 12*

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A major new history of the race between two geniuses to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Europe In 1799, a French Army officer was rebuilding the defenses of a fort on the banks of the Nile when he discovered an ancient stele fragment bearing a decree inscribed in three different scripts. So begins one of the most familiar tales in Egyptology-that of the Rosetta Stone and the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs. This book draws on fresh archival evidence to provide a major new account of how the English polymath Thomas Young and the French philologist Jean-Francois Champollion vied to be the first to solve the riddle of the Rosetta. Jed Buchwald and Diane Greco Josefowicz bring to life a bygone age of intellectual adventure. Much more than a decoding exercise centered on a single artifact, the race to decipher the Rosetta Stone reflected broader disputes about language, historical evidence, biblical truth, and the value of classical learning. Buchwald and Josefowicz paint compelling portraits of Young and Champollion, two gifted intellects with altogether different motivations. Young disdained Egyptian culture and saw Egyptian writing as a means to greater knowledge about Greco-Roman antiquity. Champollion, swept up in the political chaos of Restoration France and fiercely opposed to the scholars aligned with throne and altar, admired ancient Egypt and was prepared to upend conventional wisdom to solve the mystery of the hieroglyphs. Taking readers from the hushed lecture rooms of the Institut de France to the windswept monuments of the Valley of the Kings, The Riddle of the Rosetta reveals the untold story behind one of the nineteenth century's most thrilling discoveries.

General

Imprint: Princeton University Press
Country of origin: United States
Release date: September 2020
First published: 2020
Authors: Jed Z. 'Buchwald • Diane Greco Josefowicz
Dimensions: 235 x 156 x 48mm (L x W x T)
Format: Hardcover - Trade binding
Pages: 576
ISBN-13: 978-0-691-20090-3
Categories: Books > Humanities > Archaeology > General
Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > History of science
Books > Humanities > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE
Books > Humanities > History > World history > 1750 to 1900
Books > Humanities > History > British & Irish history > General
Books > Humanities > History > European history > General
Books > History > British & Irish history > General
Books > History > European history > General
Books > History > World history > 1750 to 1900
Books > History > World history > BCE to 500 CE
LSN: 0-691-20090-4
Barcode: 9780691200903

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