Tristan Hughes

This feels like one of the most famous objects in the entire world.

And we're going to delve into all of that.

It's also important to highlight straight away, we were chatting just before we started recording of these other objects, that the Rosetta Stone might be the most well-known object in this new exhibition, but there are so many other objects too, aren't there?

And so before we go into that whole story, the journey and the deciphering story of the Rosetta Stone, I think background first of all.

Most of us, if not everyone's heard the name Rosetta Stone, but what exactly is the Rosetta Stone?

Well, let's delve into all of that now quickly.

So you mentioned the date, so the early 2nd century BC.

So what's the context of ancient Egypt at this time?

What is this period?

And so from what you're highlighting there, so Greek, the language of the administration, Egyptian elsewhere, but was the Egyptian hieroglyphic language, was it important in religious circles?

You mentioned temples earlier.

So does that Egyptian language still retain its importance in the religious sphere at that time then?

Forgive my ignorance, what is Demotic?

Absolutely right.

I'd like to focus a bit on the material of the Rosetta Stone itself, the stone.

What do we know about its material?

Because it's quite striking when you see it today.

Do we think it originates from somewhere like Rosetta?

Or what's the backstory, do we think, to this particular stone?

And well, let's then focus on that text a bit more.