Egyptian archaeologists call for British Museum to return Rosetta stone
Egyptian archaeologists have launched campaigns to reclaim the Rosetta stone from the British Museum 200 years after it was deciphered.
A group of Egyptian archaeologists launched in mid-September a public campaign to reclaim the Rosetta stone from the British Museum, which it acquired under the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801. The campaign coincides with the 200th anniversary of the deciphering of the Rosetta stone, which opened the door to the emergence of Egyptology.
The Rosetta stone is a black granite stele (slab) dating back to 196 B.C., bearing a text written in hieroglyphic, demotic and ancient Greek. It was discovered in 1799 during the French campaign against Egypt.
In 1822, French scientist Jean-François Champollion deciphered the mystery of hieroglyphic writing in terms of its linguistic structure and vocal compositions thanks to the stone. Before that, life in ancient Egypt had been a puzzle for archaeologists for thousands of years.
The Rosetta stone arrived at the British Museum in 1802 under the Treaty of Alexandria signed in 1801 between the French and the English armies, which resulted in the evacuation of the French forces from Egypt. The treaty also stipulated in its 16th article that it was forbidden to transfer any ancient Egyptian artifacts to France, which is how the British acquired the Rosetta stone.
