DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3720#0214
CHAMPOLLION DECIPHERS THE ALPHABET.
papyri, nor his vocabulary of this branch, can be held to justify
the promise of his first attempts. He clung to a vicious hypo-
thesis with a fanatical pertinacity.
After the essay by Young, in 1818, Champollion le Jeune, a
young French savant, entered upon the path of the discovery so
feebly made by Young. He had preceded Young in his publi-
cation of "Egypt under the Pharaohs," in 1814.1 It was the
first move in the true direction. Jablonski and Zoesra had
done all that could be effected, as far as collecting the informa-
tion of the classical writers was concerned. Zoega, indeed,
had even advanced to the point that some hieroglyphs must be
employed as sounds. How far Young had gone, has been
already stated. From, his earliest youth Champollion had been
attracted to the study, had stored his mind with niuch know-
ledge of Coptic, and of the opinions of the ancients; and, after
coming from the Lyceum, or public school, had studied the
hieroglyphic inscriptions, and obtained considerable insight
into their structure and nature. Up to the year 1821," he was
unconscious of the phonetic value of the hieroglyphs ; he had
even not availed himself of the discoveries of Young. It was
in January, 1822, that Mr. Bankes, who had before forwarded
to Letronne the copy of a Greek inscription on the base of a
small obelisk at Phila;, transmitted a copy of the hieroglyphicr.l
inscription of the shaft. Letronne had already conjectured
that this text must contain the same matter as the Greek ; and
Champollion then published his letter to 31. Dacier, in Sep-
tember, 1822.3 In the subsequent year he had commenced
1 L'Eigypte sous les Pliaraons, Svo, Paris, 1S14.
2 Klaproth, Examen Critique des Travaux de feu M. Champollion, Svo,
Paris, 1832 ; Champollion, De l'ficriture Hieratique, fo. Grenoble, 1821.
3 Lettre a M. Dacier relative & 1'Alphabet des Hieroglyphes Egyptiens, Svo,
Paris, 1822.
papyri, nor his vocabulary of this branch, can be held to justify
the promise of his first attempts. He clung to a vicious hypo-
thesis with a fanatical pertinacity.
After the essay by Young, in 1818, Champollion le Jeune, a
young French savant, entered upon the path of the discovery so
feebly made by Young. He had preceded Young in his publi-
cation of "Egypt under the Pharaohs," in 1814.1 It was the
first move in the true direction. Jablonski and Zoesra had
done all that could be effected, as far as collecting the informa-
tion of the classical writers was concerned. Zoega, indeed,
had even advanced to the point that some hieroglyphs must be
employed as sounds. How far Young had gone, has been
already stated. From, his earliest youth Champollion had been
attracted to the study, had stored his mind with niuch know-
ledge of Coptic, and of the opinions of the ancients; and, after
coming from the Lyceum, or public school, had studied the
hieroglyphic inscriptions, and obtained considerable insight
into their structure and nature. Up to the year 1821," he was
unconscious of the phonetic value of the hieroglyphs ; he had
even not availed himself of the discoveries of Young. It was
in January, 1822, that Mr. Bankes, who had before forwarded
to Letronne the copy of a Greek inscription on the base of a
small obelisk at Phila;, transmitted a copy of the hieroglyphicr.l
inscription of the shaft. Letronne had already conjectured
that this text must contain the same matter as the Greek ; and
Champollion then published his letter to 31. Dacier, in Sep-
tember, 1822.3 In the subsequent year he had commenced
1 L'Eigypte sous les Pliaraons, Svo, Paris, 1S14.
2 Klaproth, Examen Critique des Travaux de feu M. Champollion, Svo,
Paris, 1832 ; Champollion, De l'ficriture Hieratique, fo. Grenoble, 1821.
3 Lettre a M. Dacier relative & 1'Alphabet des Hieroglyphes Egyptiens, Svo,
Paris, 1822.