Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone

Rashid Stone

حجر رشيد

The engraved decree, dating to 197 BCE, exceeds the current character limit. The same message is repeated, with minor variations, in Egyptian hieroglyphics, Demotic, and Ancient Greek. The decree establishes Ptolemy V as King of Egypt, then lists the King's acts since his coronation. These acts consist mostly of reducing taxes and increasing benefits for the temple, but also include forgiving people involved in a recent rebellion. The decree then lists the temple's actions to honour Ptolemy V, which include declaring holidays for the King's birthday and coronation and placing copies of this decree in temples throughout the land. The decree is now known as the Memphis Decree.

Inscription (white paint, 1802): "Captured in Egypt by the British Army 1801"

Inscription (white paint, 1802): "Presented by King George III"

Ptolemaic priests

Created 196 BCE

July 1799: rediscovered in Rosetta (Rashid) by Pierre-François Bouchard of the French army

1799: moved from Rosetta (Rashid) to Cairo by Pierre-François Bouchard and Jacques-François Menou

30 August 1801: claimed by John Hely-Hutchinson (representing the British Army) in the Capitulation of Alexandria

30 August 1801: claimed as personal property by Jacques-François Menou

1801 or 1802: (allegedly) seized by Tomkyns Hilgrove Turner from Jacques-François Menou

1801 or 1802: (allegedly) seized by Edward Daniel Clarke, John Cripps, and William Richard Hamilton from Jacques-François Menou

February 1802: presented by Tomkyns Hilgrove Turner to King George III (represented by War Secretary Lord Hobart) in Portsmouth, England

11 March 1802: presented by Tomkyns Hilgrove Turner and Lord Hobart to the Society of Antiquaries of London

June 1802: placed on display in the British Museum

April 1801 (unknown day): transported from Cairo to Alexandria by General Menou and the Institut d'Egypte

King Ptolemy V Epiphanes

Ownership claim: British Empire / United Kingdom, 1801 (ongoing, denied by Egypt)

Ownership claim: Jacques-François Menou, 1801 (denied by British Empire)

Ownership claim: Egypt, 2003 (ongoing, denied by United Kingdom)

Current location: British Museum, London, United Kingdom

Custodians, 1799 (unknown dates): Pierre-François Bouchard and Jacques-François Menou

Custodians (alleged), 1801 or 1802 (unknown dates, after 30 August 1801 and before February 1802): Edward Daniel Clarke, John Cripps, and William Richard Hamilton

Custodian, unknown start date (after 30 August 1801 and before February 1802) to 11 March 1802: Tomkyns Hilgrove Turner

Custodian, February 1802 - June 1802 (unknown dates): King George III of Britain

Custodian, February 1802 (unknown date) to 11 March 1802: Lord Hobart

Custodian, 11 March 1802 to June 1802 (unknown date): Society of Antiquaries of London

Custodian, June 1802 (unknown date) to present: British Museum

Engraved granodiorite

1123mm x 757mm x 284mm

Ancient Greek

Ancient Egyptian Demotic

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs

Ptolemaic Kingdom