gangleri2001
Garbage day!!!
September 27th, 1822 - September 27th, 2022
Thank you master for opening the doors of ancient Egypt to all of us!
Thank you master for opening the doors of ancient Egypt to all of us!
Brief chronology of the events that took place 200 years ago
September 14th, 1822 - Je tiens l'affaire!
Jean-François Champollion has a discussion with his brother, Jacques-Joseph Champollion, about possible phonetic transcription theories of Egyptian hieroglyphs. After a while Jean-François withdraws from the discussion. Shortly afterwards he slams the door of his brother's office exclaiming Je tiens l'affaire! (I've got it!) and proceeds to show his brother that he is already able to read some hieroglyphs. From this moment on, Jean-François Champollion sets to work to establish the bases of the writing system.
September 22nd, 1822 - Letter to Bon-Joseph Dacier
Champollion writes an 8-page letter to Bon-Joseph Dacier, secretary of the Royal Academy of Inscriptions of Paris, where he explains the basis of the writing system and where he asks Mr. Dacier to be able to expose it to the public at the academy in the next few days. This letter (in French Lettre à M. Dacier relative à l'alphabet des hiéroglyphes phonétiques) is considered the foundational document of Egyptology.
September 27th, 1822 - The end of centuries of silence
Champollion exposes the contents of the letter to Mr. Dacier at the Royal Academy of Inscriptions. The audience, realizing that Champollion has succeeded in deciphering some text from the Rosetta stone, bursts into applause and his work is highly praised. From that moment on, once it has been confirmed to the public that Champollion had successfully deciphered the code and the contents of the letter to Mr. Dacier were published, Egyptian hieroglyphs are considered as deciphered. From this moment on a still ongoing work of compiling the entire corpus of Egyptian texts began in which Champollion himself would also take part until his death in 1832.
Late October 1822 (exact date unknown) - First book published
Shortly after his exposition at the Royal Academy of Inscriptions, Champollion sets to work with the printer Firmin Didot to publish a more extensive and detailed work than the 8-page letter to Mr. Dacier. Approximately one month later they publish a 44-page booklet which becomes the first work of this kind available in bookstores.
Last edited: