A pharaoh's forgotten decree, recorded in 3 scripts, hieroglyphs, demotic and ancient Greek, was rescued from rubble by Napoleon's expedition to Egypt, captured by the British army and deposited in the British Museum. It provoked an exciting race between Thomas Young (British) and Champollion (French, who won) to unlock the door to the language of ancient Egypt and its 3000 years of history. In a brilliant retelling of its story, John Ray offers a wonderful overview of the fascinating world of Egyptology and some provocative thoughts on the problems posed by archaeological 'loot'.
- ISBN10 1861973349
- ISBN13 9781861973344
- Publish Date 8 February 2007
- Publish Status Remaindered
- Out of Print 29 July 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Profile Books Ltd
- Edition Main
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 208
- Language English