The Rosetta Stone was crucial in understanding hieroglyphics, a writing system that had been lost for centuries.

Despite its discovery in 1799, the stone remained undeciphered for many years.

It is currently housed in the British Museum, where it has been since 1802, with a brief relocation during World War I for safety purposes.

The Rosetta Stone was unearthed in 1799 by soldiers under Napoleon Bonaparte during his Egyptian campaign, according to The British Museum.

The stone was discovered embedded in an ancient wall near the town of Rashid (Rosetta).

Following the British victory over the French, the stone came into British possession in 1801, according to History.com.

It has remained in British hands ever since.

The Rosetta Stone is a fragmented piece of a larger stone slab. It measures 44 inches tall and 30 inches wide, according to History.com.

The stone bears the same text inscribed in three different scripts: Demotic, hieroglyphic, and Greek.

Its significance lies in its vital role in helping scholars decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics.

After the 4th century A.D., the writing system fell into disuse and was forgotten for many years, until its meaning was understood through the deciphering of the inscription on this ancient artifact.

The decoding of the Rosetta Stone’s message was a collaborative effort among various scholars spanning many years.

Thomas Young, an English physicist, made the first major progress in deciphering the stone.

In 1814, Young determined that the hieroglyphs enclosed in ovals, known as cartouches, represented royal names, according to History.com.

Jean-François Champollion, a French scholar, built upon Young’s work and announced in 1822 that he had successfully deciphered the message.

The inscription on the stone is a decree concerning Ptolemy V Epiphanes, according to The British Museum, who was king of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. It was issued by a council of priests and declared that “the priests of a temple in Memphis supported the king,” as per the museum.

The stone’s decree dates back to 196 B.C., according to Britannica, and details many of his accomplishments, including tax reductions and the restoration of peace in Egypt, according to the source.