Hieroglyphics Cracked 1,000 Years Earlier...

[Tamrin]

Hieroglyphics Cracked 1,000 Years Earlier Than Thought

[ScienceDaily (Oct. 7, 2004) - Excerpt - Linked Above]

Western scholars were not the first to decipher the ancient language of the pharaohs, according to a new book that will be published later this year by a UCL researcher.

Dr Okasha El Daly of UCL’s Institute of Archaeology will reveal that Arabic scholars not only took a keen interest in ancient Egypt but also correctly interpreted hieroglyphics in the ninth century AD – almost 1,000 years earlier than previously thought.

It has long been thought that Jean-Francois Champollion was the first person to crack hieroglyphics in 1822 using newly discovered Egyptian antiquities such as the Rosetta stone. But fresh analysis of manuscripts tucked away in long forgotten collections scattered across the globe prove that Arabic scholars got there first.

[Azaziel]

Arabic scholars in this time period need and deserve more respect for their work , they kept the light on, so to speak.

Regards
Terry

[Tamrin]

The Rosetta Stone

[Web Page - Grand Lodge of British Columbia & Yukon - Linked Above]

Discovered by Bouchard (Boussard) in August 1799, and deciphered by non-mason, Jean François Champollion (1790-1832) in 1822, with the aid of inscriptions discovered by Italian freemason, Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778/11/04-1823/12/03), the Rosetta Stone provided the key to deciphering the entire system of Egyptian heiroglyphs. Measuring 3ft. 9 in. (114 cm) long anf 2 ft 4 1/2 in. (72 cm) wide, it was carved from black basalt.

[Azaziel]

Re Rosetta stone, I remember reading somewhere that the only hieroglyphic not decoded was the point in a circle one, is that right

[Tamrin]

Feb 7, 2009 18:42:18 GMT 10 Azaziel said:

Re Rosetta stone, I remember reading somewhere that the only hieroglyphic not decoded was the point in a circle one, is that right

I'm not sure if the deciphering is Champollion’s or not, but the circle alone is taken to be a sun disk, representing the sun god Ra. The point within the circle is thought to represent Amun-Ra, a syncretistic god of the Middle Kingdom, being an amalgam of Ra and Amun, the supreme god of whom the sun was merely the visible, manifested presence (possibly, two great parallels could have been the sides of a cartouche or elongated shen ring, representing eternity, in which the emblem of Amun-Ra formed part of a royal name, written in rebus form).