Writing Prompt
Some discoveries, like the Rosetta stone, can completely change history. Yet, it often takes the input of many different people to fully understand the importance of such major discoveries.
Think about the ideas in the two passages. Then write an informational/explanatory essay in your own words about how many different people contributed to finding and understanding the Rosetta stone and ultimately changed the way that we think about the ancient Egyptian world.
Be sure to use information from BOTH passages in your informational/explanatory essay.
The discovery of the Rosetta Stone is considered a monumental turning point in our understanding of the ancient Egyptian world. This ancient artifact, found by chance in Egypt, had a profound impact on history, as it provided the key to unlock the mysteries of hieroglyphic writing. However, comprehending the importance of this discovery required the contributions of numerous individuals from different backgrounds and areas of expertise.
The first passage highlights the initial discovery of the Rosetta Stone by a French soldier named Pierre-François Bouchard during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt. Bouchard stumbled upon the stone in 1799 while conducting repairs on a fort near the town of Rosetta. Recognizing the significance of the inscribed stone, Bouchard reported his find to his superiors and the stone was then transferred to Cairo.
Once in Cairo, the second passage explains how the Rosetta Stone attracted the attention of several renowned scholars, who recognized its potential importance. Chief among them was Jean-François Champollion, a French linguist and Egyptologist known for his expertise in deciphering hieroglyphs. Champollion dedicated his life to unraveling the mysteries of ancient Egyptian writing and quickly became captivated by the Rosetta Stone's inscriptions.
To fully understand the significance of the Rosetta Stone, Champollion relied not only on his own expertise but also on the contributions of others. As the second passage reveals, he relied heavily on the scholarship of Thomas Young, a British polymath, who had made significant progress in deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyphs before Champollion's time. Young had already proposed that the hieroglyphic script represented a combination of phonetic signs and ideograms. Champollion built upon Young's findings and collaborated with other scholars, including his younger brother, to develop his own groundbreaking insights.
The contributions of these varied individuals were essential for understanding the Rosetta Stone and, consequently, the ancient Egyptian world. The first passage highlights the diverse skill sets and fields of expertise required for the artifact's decipherment. The Rosetta Stone's inscription consisted of three scripts – ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic script, and Ancient Greek. Each script required a different level of scholarly prowess to decode.
Champollion's work, as detailed in the second passage, ultimately led to a breakthrough in deciphering hieroglyphs. By comparing the Greek text on the Rosetta Stone with the corresponding hieroglyphs and Demotic script, Champollion managed to assign phonetic values to certain hieroglyphic signs. This groundbreaking discovery paved the way for more comprehensive understanding of ancient Egypt's history, culture, and language.
In conclusion, the discovery and understanding of the Rosetta Stone demanded the contributions of numerous individuals from various disciplines. From the soldier who stumbled upon it to the linguists, Egyptologists, and scholars who deciphered it, each played a critical role in unraveling the mysteries of the ancient Egyptian world. The Rosetta Stone stands as a prime example of how collaborative efforts can lead to groundbreaking discoveries that completely change history.
Multiple Choice Questions
Which statement BEST expresses TWO central ideas developed over both passages?
Understanding the Rosetta stone took decades and the work of many different researchers, but it ultimately proved how much language can reveal about the culture of a civilization.
Understanding the Rosetta stone was mostly achieved by one person, and it ultimately proved how much language can reveal about the culture of a civilization.
Understanding the Rosetta stone took decades and the work of many different researchers, but it ultimately proved that language shows us very little about the culture of a civilization.
The Rosetta stone was discovered by French military forces, and it was through the work of another Frenchman that the stone was finally translated.
Understanding the Rosetta stone took decades and the work of many different researchers, but it ultimately proved how much language can reveal about the culture of a civilization.
Read the paragraph from Passage 1.
“Hieroglyphic writing was used by the ancient Egyptians for thousands of years. Then it was gradually forgotten. By 400 CE, only a few priests could read it. Then, none. Later travelers puzzled over the mysterious pictures and guessed at their meanings.”
Which of the following inferences can be made from the paragraph?
Over time, the ancient Egyptian civilization that used hieroglyphic writing must have gone mysteriously extinct, so no one could understand it any longer, outside of a few priests.
Over time, the ancient Egyptian civilization that used hieroglyphic writing must have changed and began to use different language systems without hieroglyphics.
Hieroglyphics must have been determined to be too difficult to read and write, so people began to use other languages.
Hieroglyphics must have been taught only to priests and religious leaders in the ancient Egyptian world.
Over time, the ancient Egyptian civilization that used hieroglyphic writing must have changed and began to use different language systems without hieroglyphics.
Which of the following BEST explains what happened to the work of Thomas Young described in Passage 1?
Young was very close to unlocking the code of the Rosetta stone, but he stopped working on it so that he could pass it on to younger researchers.
Young was the first to truly unlock the code of the Rosetta stone, but he needed other researchers to help him finish the translation.
Young was very close to unlocking the code of the Rosetta stone, but he became ill and had to stop working on the project. His work was then picked up by others.
Young was very close to unlocking the code of the Rosetta stone, but he stopped working on it for unknown reasons. His work was then picked up by others.