15 July 1799: discovery of the Rosetta Stone

The discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799, and its subsequent decryption, revealed the secrets of the pharaohs hidden in the hieroglyphic script.

British Museum Rosetta Stone In London
(Image credit: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

Hieroglyphics sacred writing' was the ancient script used to adorn the tombs of Egypt's pharaohs.

Their origin is a mystery one possibility is that they evolved from Sumerian scripts 5,000 years ago.But what is certain is that by the fourth century AD, the use of hieroglyphics had died out along with anyone who could read the script. For hundreds of years, all attempts to decipher it failed.

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Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.