Champollion & Hieroglyphics

Jean-François Champollion is a French Egyptologist! At the age of 14, he received a scholarship and was admitted to one of the Imperial Colleges created by Napoleon. Very early on, he manifested an interest for ancient civilizations and mid-eastern languages.

A gifted student, he was already a professor by the age of 19! Champollion devoted his life to deciphering the Hieroglyphics and he was not the only scientist trying to achieve that! In 1821, he identified the names of Egyptian royals. The following year, on 14th Sept. 1822, the 32 year-young man exclaimed: "I got it!".

By the 27th, just two weeks later, he finished cracking the code! Champollion was able to decipher the hieroglyphics thanks to a stella called the "Rosetta Stone" which had been discovered during Napoleon's campaign in Egypt.

When he was sent there in 1798 by the French revolutionary government, then General Bonaparte decided to bring scientists with him to study Egyptology! Thanks to a military campaign, Champollion succeeded in his mission!