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NARRATOR: It was one of the greatest civilisationson earth, but its secrets lay hidden.
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All that was left of ancient Egypt
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were the crumbling remainsof its stunning monuments.
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But why they were built and who built themremained a mystery.
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The answer surely lay here,in the sacred texts of the pharaohs,
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the hieroglyphs.
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For centuries, scholars had struggledto crack the code,
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all of them had failed.
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In the end it would take a warto help solve the mystery.
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On one side, Napoleon Bonaparte,the most feared warrior in Europe.
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On the other, the might of the British Empire.
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But long after the guns went silent,
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the battle over the hieroglyphs would rage onbetween two of Europe's most brilliant minds.
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From France, a poor country boy,a genius of language.
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Test me, go on.
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- All right. Chair.
- "Sey".
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- Table.
- "Sotchee".
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- Bed.
- "Loll".
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His name, Jean-Francois Champollion.
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If this is right, then so am I.
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And from England,the most brilliant mind of a generation.
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Where do you start?
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Mathematics.
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Urbane and rational,a celebrated scientist, Thomas Young.
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The heads must face the start of the word.
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That's how we know which way to read them.
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This was to be a duelwith much more than just personal pride at stake.
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Remember, we cannot possibly let the French
beat us to it.
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I shall translate the hieroglyphs.
That'll be my revenge on those English barbarians.
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The most important cluewas a stone covered in strange writing.
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Both men believed they could unlock its secrets.
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Here it is, the hieroglyph for priest.
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Ra-m-Ss.
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Ramesses!
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Only one of them would succeed.
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When Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt in 1798,
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he did more than just conquer a country.
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He uncovered a lost civilisation.
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Egypt had been virtually closed to Europeansfor centuries,
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and when the French saw the pyramids of Giza,they were astonished.
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4,500 years after its construction,
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the Great Pyramid was still the tallest buildingin the world.
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Everything about this ancient cultureseemed extraordinary.
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Over here, come and take a look at this.
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What do you think it is?
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Different scripts on one stone.
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Why would they do that?
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This is Greek, we can read this!
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NARRATOR: There were three inscriptionson the stone.
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The mysterious ancient hieroglyphs at the top,
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then another unknown text,and at the bottom, ancient Greek.
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This was a unique find.
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Although the first two texts were unreadable,
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Greek was a well-known languageand could be easily translated.
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Along with his soldiers,Napoleon had taken an army of scholars
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to unravel Egypt's ancient culture,
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including antiquarians, artists and linguists.
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It says here that all three scripts
are saying the same thing.
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NARRATOR: So, by translating the Greek,they would know what the hieroglyph said.
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But there were problems,and the first one was Horatio Nelson.
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At the Battle of the Nile in August 1798,
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Nelson had attacked the French fleet at Alexandriaand ripped it to shreds,
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trapping the French in Egypt.
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After three years of siege,the British finally ran the French out of Egypt.
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Now, everything France had gainedbelonged to Britain and her allies.
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We agreed, General Menou, that your scientists
may keep all their notes, drawings and papers,
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but I must make clear that the antiquities you
have seized may not leave the country with you,
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and that includes the stone.
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Stone? What stone?
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That stone.
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No, I'm sorry. That particular stone doesn't
belong to the Republic. It's mine, personally.
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I bought it from a local trader.
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Perhaps you could provide us with a bill of sale.
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Hm.
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NARRATOR: The French had, however,thought to make copies of the stone.
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Their finest linguists and code breakersin Paris were already trying to crack it.
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Most notably an academic called Silvestre de Sacy.
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But its meaning eluded him.
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As far as he could work out,the hieroglyphs were mystical symbols.
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But far away in the provinces, a child prodigy,Jean-Francois Champollion, was growing up.
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Although too poor for a privileged education,
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his elder brother encouraged his giftfor languages
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and by the time he was 13,Champollion spoke six ancient tongues.
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From childhood he was fascinated bythe question of when the first civilisation began.
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- Good day at school?
- No.
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Boring.
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(Mumbling) Four thousand, three hundred, then...
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I've done it. I've worked out the age of the world.
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And how did you manage that?
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Easy. Genesis, Chapter 5.
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I counted back through all the ancestors of Noah,
right back to Adam, and added up their ages.
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So how old is it?
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4,327, I think.
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NARRATOR: As Champollion grew up,
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he began to believethe answer lay in the ancient hieroglyphs.
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Stop it, those shoes have got to last.
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You're the fussiest brother in the world.
I can be angry, can't I?
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The stone was discovered by France.
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We have copies of the inscriptions.
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It's not the same thing.
How do you know if the copy is accurate?
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I wanted to see the stone, to touch it.
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My quest for the true age of the world is over
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if I can't read the hieroglyphs,
the oldest language from the oldest nation.
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There are experts in Paris
working on translating them.
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It's just a matter of time.
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I can't wait for other people to do it.
What if the English translate them first?
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If you can get me a good copy of the inscription,
then I'll do it. I shall translate the hieroglyphs.
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That'll be my revenge
on those English barbarians, you'll see.
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NARRATOR: Originally, there may have beenhundreds of copies of the stone.
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The Greek inscription suggestedthis was an act of propaganda
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on behalf of Egypt's 285th pharaoh, Ptolemy V.
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When he commissioned it in 196 BC,his reign, along with Egypt, was in trouble.
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By this time, the Egyptian civilisationhad existed for 3,000 years,
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but its glory days were well in the past.
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After a series of invasions,
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it had been conquered by the Greek-speakingwarlord Alexander the Great in 332 BC.
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He had made himself pharaoh,brought in his own government,
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and Greek became the language of the rulers.
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The new elite could neither speakthe local language nor read the hieroglyphs,
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and their presence fuelled resentment in Egypt.
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Under Ptolemy V, the country was in open revolt.
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So, out of desperation, in templesthroughout the land, he erected stone tablets.
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Each proclaimed Ptolemy's virtuesand underlined his claim to be rightful pharaoh.
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The Rosetta Stone did not reflectthe glorious achievements of pharaohs past.
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It was a pathetic symbol of Egypt's decline.
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The beginning of the end of a great culture.
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A culture whose writingswould soon become obscure and indecipherable.
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Come and have a look at this.
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See this?
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What, that oval shape?
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It's a cartouche. That's what they call them now.
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The soldiers thought they looked like cartridges
from their rifles, you see.
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I suppose so.
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Well, some people think this shape...
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contains a name, maybe a royal name.
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No one's been able to prove it?
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No, but if the scholars are right, then this...
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means "Ptolemy", doesn't it?
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Maybe. But how?
Are hieroglyphs letters? Is there an alphabet?
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Is it just Ptolemy's name or does it describe him?
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Is it all his royal titles? We don't know.
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But we have your translation of the Greek.
We know what it's saying.
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"King Ptolemy, manifest God,
whose excellence is fine."
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So if this means "Ptolemy",
then these next to him
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mean "manifest God whose excellence is fine",
don't they?
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And how do you prove it?
What if you read them in the other direction?
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(Exasperated sigh)
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Then these say it instead.
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But aren't hieroglyphs symbols and not words?
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- Meaning what?
- I don't know, think of a coat of arms.
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We know what that indicates, who it stands for,
but we can't read it.
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Napoleon's experts thought they'd crack this
in a matter of weeks. They didn't.
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Professor Sacy has been working on it
in Paris for years, and others, too.
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It's not going to be easy.
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The answer is in here somewhere
and I'm going to find it.
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(Knocking at door)
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Come.
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This just arrived for you, sir.
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You'll understand the French
are already ahead of us.
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And we're going to look pretty damned foolish
if they translate this wretched stone
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while we've got it sitting in the British Museum.
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I see your point.
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Anyway, we've heard
that you're the man for the job.
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So what do you say?
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NARRATOR: The Englishman Thomas Youngwas a brilliant scientist,
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a man of the Enlightenment.
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Amongst his achievements were how the humaneye focused and a theory of how light travelled.
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His next challenge was to bringancient Egypt back to life.
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Apart from his immense wealth,Young had one advantage over Champollion
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in unlocking the secretsof this mysterious civilisation.
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The British possessed the Rosetta Stone.
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Well, even I can read this bit.
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"Captured by the British army in 1801."
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If only the rest was as easy.
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What are hieroglyphs?
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Are they words or just pictures?
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Well, they're pictures, aren't they?
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Are we supposed to even read them at all?
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And if we can, is it from left to right?
Right to left? Top to bottom?
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How can knowledge just disappear like that?
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Surely there must be someone
who understands them?
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Didn't anyone leave a record of what they mean?
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Not as far as we know.
This could be our best chance.
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It's not going to be easy.
Look at this, it's badly damaged.
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Does the stone end here or here?
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How many of the hieroglyphs are missing?
We just don't know.
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Doesn't that make the task impossible?
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Well, why don't you take a stab and find out?
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Remember, we cannot possibly let the French
beat us to it.
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Here, here.
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NARRATOR: The most serious problemfor Young and Champollion
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was that no one knewwhat hieroglyphs actually were.
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Simply symbols or lettersthat made the sounds of a spoken language?
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In every walk of life,symbols are used to communicate ideas.
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But they're not a language.
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They can't be spoken in the same waythat the text of a book can be.
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It was widely believed that hieroglyphs were,in fact, silent symbols.
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But no one could be sure.
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What's this?
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It's for you. You won't get
the education you deserve if you stay here.
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- You're saying I can go to Paris?
- What do you think I'm saying?
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You can't pay for me. Where did you get all this?
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I've been saving it. I'm not sure what for, really,
so you may as well take it.
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- I can't believe you'd do this for me.
- Well, I have. So stop fussing.
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I won't let you down.
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YOUNG: This could be the key.
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The Greek tells us that this
was the common language of Egypt at the time.
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I believe that hieroglyphs are symbols,
but this script has the look of a spoken language.
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There's more of it than hieroglyphs, too.
That section's almost complete.
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Where do you start?
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- Mathematics.
- What?
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It's simple. If we count the number of times
the Greek words appear...
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I see. So we're looking for groups of symbols
in here occurring the same number of times.
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Then we have a chance to work out an alphabet,
and from an alphabet, words.
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And from words, sentences.
Won't it take rather a long time?
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Quite probably.
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NARRATOR: The task would be madeconsiderably easier
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if either the stone's missing pieceor a complete stone tablet could be found.
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So the British sent an appealto this man, Giovanni Belzoni,
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the eccentric explorer who worked for theBritish Consul in Egypt tracking down artefacts.
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Pull! Pull!
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NARRATOR: It was saidthat if the missing piece was found,
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it would be worth its weight in diamonds.
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And if there was anyone who could find it,it was Belzoni,
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a man who had a giftfor discovering Egypt's ancient past.
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It was the opportunityChampollion had been waiting for all his life.
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He arrived in Paris to study Oriental languageswith the country's leading linguist, Sacy,
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a man who had struggled withthe mystery of the hieroglyphs with little success.
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Today you will begin your attempt
to learn Persian.
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A language steeped in the rich culture...
Yes, Monsieur Letronne?
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Will we be studying hieroglyphs
during our time here?
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No. I can see no good reason to study a script
about which so little is known.
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The English are trying to translate them.
235
00:19:45,750 --> 00:19:49,789
I'm well aware of Mr Young's achievements
in England, thank you.
236
00:19:50,110 --> 00:19:52,783
Perhaps if we studied them, we could beat him.
237
00:19:55,670 --> 00:20:00,585
Hieroglyphs are symbols,
the embodiment of an idea.
238
00:20:01,630 --> 00:20:04,224
Translating them is a task
so monumentally difficult,
239
00:20:04,310 --> 00:20:07,700
that it would take a lifetime,
if indeed it could be achieved at all.
240
00:20:08,150 --> 00:20:10,618
Now, if there are no other questions...
241
00:20:10,710 --> 00:20:12,746
What is it, Monsieur Champollion?
242
00:20:12,870 --> 00:20:16,067
Are you sure hieroglyphs are just symbols
and not words and letters?
243
00:20:16,150 --> 00:20:22,908
Oh, you're saying I'm wrong, along with
every other classical scholar from antiquity?
244
00:20:24,830 --> 00:20:28,379
Here you are, Monsieur Champollion...
245
00:20:32,030 --> 00:20:33,509
enlighten us.
246
00:20:34,630 --> 00:20:36,621
What does that hieroglyph mean?
247
00:20:36,710 --> 00:20:37,938
I don't know.
248
00:20:39,070 --> 00:20:43,188
Well, let's pursue something
that we do know, shall we?
249
00:20:43,270 --> 00:20:48,139
Gentlemen, open your Persian grammars
at chapter one.
250
00:20:52,150 --> 00:20:53,299
So...
251
00:20:54,670 --> 00:20:57,389
what exactly do you wish to achieve here?
252
00:20:57,470 --> 00:20:59,028
The origins of the world.
253
00:20:59,110 --> 00:21:01,465
That's what's fascinated me
ever since I was a boy.
254
00:21:01,590 --> 00:21:02,943
That's a worthy subject.
255
00:21:03,030 --> 00:21:04,986
When I first learned Latin,
I thought that would help,
256
00:21:05,070 --> 00:21:07,220
but I prefer the Greek version of the Bible,
don't you?
257
00:21:07,310 --> 00:21:09,540
That didn't provide the answers
so I turned to Hebrew.
258
00:21:09,630 --> 00:21:11,427
I'd like to tackle Aramaic while I'm here.
259
00:21:11,510 --> 00:21:14,343
Can you imagine actually speaking
the same language as our Lord?
260
00:21:14,430 --> 00:21:17,786
I can, and I do, by the way.
261
00:21:18,150 --> 00:21:20,903
There are so many questions
I've always wanted to answer.
262
00:21:20,990 --> 00:21:24,300
What language did Adam speak?
Which is the oldest race in the world?
263
00:21:24,390 --> 00:21:26,506
And if Moses
wrote the first five books of the Bible,
264
00:21:26,590 --> 00:21:28,865
why are they not in Egyptian, his native tongue?
265
00:21:28,950 --> 00:21:32,067
I'm not sure that's something
we need to question.
266
00:21:32,310 --> 00:21:36,667
I know I can discover all the answers
if I can just translate hieroglyphs.
267
00:21:37,110 --> 00:21:40,068
Really? How interesting.
268
00:21:45,350 --> 00:21:50,982
This is interesting.
Have you got any word that crops up 24 times?
269
00:21:51,110 --> 00:21:53,829
- It's not enough to be "and" or "the".
- Uh-huh.
270
00:21:53,950 --> 00:21:56,180
It's got to be something else.
271
00:21:56,270 --> 00:22:00,309
Well, I've got "king" in the Greek,
272
00:22:00,390 --> 00:22:03,939
"basileus", 23 times.
273
00:22:04,830 --> 00:22:09,665
- Right. Basileus. I'm marking that as a possible.
- Mmm.
274
00:22:09,990 --> 00:22:12,948
The next word occurs 14 times.
275
00:22:13,030 --> 00:22:14,179
Oh!
276
00:22:14,870 --> 00:22:20,024
"Ptolemy" crops up 11 times.
It could be the closest.
277
00:22:20,590 --> 00:22:24,788
Yes, yes. This is promising. "Ptolemaios."
278
00:22:26,910 --> 00:22:30,505
Excellent. More fun than you expected?
279
00:22:31,390 --> 00:22:34,985
Well, it is if you've drunk enough port.
Any more in there?
280
00:22:39,870 --> 00:22:43,306
NARRATOR: Young treated the hieroglyphsas a code to be broken,
281
00:22:43,390 --> 00:22:47,588
using the sheer power of logicand numerical analysis.
282
00:22:47,670 --> 00:22:51,902
Surely, he felt, if he applied his brilliant mindfor long enough,
283
00:22:51,990 --> 00:22:55,346
the deeds the pharaohs describedon the walls of their temples
284
00:22:55,430 --> 00:22:57,785
would at last ring out loudly again.
285
00:22:58,630 --> 00:23:03,146
But Champollion took a completelydifferent approach to these ancient inscriptions.
286
00:23:03,710 --> 00:23:07,544
As a linguist, he was determinedto find the meaning of the hieroglyphs
287
00:23:07,630 --> 00:23:10,747
through the studyof the ancient languages of Egypt.
288
00:23:19,310 --> 00:23:23,588
Champollion was becoming convincedthat the hieroglyphs made words.
289
00:23:24,030 --> 00:23:26,260
And words had to be spoken.
290
00:23:26,350 --> 00:23:31,378
So he began to study the last known languagespoken during the time of the hieroglyphs.
291
00:23:35,270 --> 00:23:39,468
Coptic, the language of the Egyptian Christians.
292
00:23:45,670 --> 00:23:49,424
NARRATOR: Coptic was still spokenin the churches of Coptic Christians,
293
00:23:49,510 --> 00:23:51,421
including one in Paris.
294
00:23:52,270 --> 00:23:54,500
(Singing)
295
00:24:21,550 --> 00:24:24,018
Could this be the sound of the pharaohs?
296
00:24:32,030 --> 00:24:36,501
If only Champollion could match these soundsto the hieroglyphs,
297
00:24:36,590 --> 00:24:39,468
perhaps he might hear the pharaohs speak.
298
00:24:46,830 --> 00:24:48,343
"Belson.
299
00:24:48,950 --> 00:24:52,226
"Belson. Lavoi.
300
00:24:52,830 --> 00:24:57,301
"Lavoi, lavoi. Miche, miche, miche.
301
00:24:58,310 --> 00:25:03,020
"Met... Met... Metti.Merthi, merthi, merthi. "
302
00:25:03,790 --> 00:25:05,746
What on earth are you doing?
303
00:25:07,630 --> 00:25:11,066
Jacques-Joseph, how wonderful to see you.
304
00:25:11,350 --> 00:25:13,944
- I didn't expect to see you so soon.
- Clearly.
305
00:25:14,030 --> 00:25:17,500
- What was that noise?
- The four Coptic names for a lion.
306
00:25:17,590 --> 00:25:19,865
Strictly speaking, "lavoi"means lioness.
307
00:25:19,950 --> 00:25:21,178
Coptic?
308
00:25:21,270 --> 00:25:23,340
Yes, the closest living language
to common Egyptian.
309
00:25:23,430 --> 00:25:27,218
The language spoken by the Egyptians around
the time of Cleopatra and Alexander the Great.
310
00:25:27,310 --> 00:25:30,780
And I found a church where they say mass
in Coptic, right here in Paris,
311
00:25:30,870 --> 00:25:32,747
and the priest is teaching me.
312
00:25:32,830 --> 00:25:37,267
- Just what you need, another language.
- Don't mock, this could be the key to everything.
313
00:25:37,990 --> 00:25:44,065
- What on earth have you done to your breeches?
- Oh, yes, I tore them on my first week.
314
00:25:44,670 --> 00:25:47,742
- Never mind, it doesn't matter.
- Take them off, give them to me.
315
00:25:47,830 --> 00:25:49,741
Do you have a needle and thread?
316
00:25:53,510 --> 00:25:58,265
Suppose the scripts of the stone are related,
have you thought of that?
317
00:25:59,110 --> 00:26:02,785
What if the hieroglyphs are just an older version
of the common Egyptian?
318
00:26:02,910 --> 00:26:04,309
Look.
319
00:26:05,710 --> 00:26:07,507
It's here somewhere.
320
00:26:09,510 --> 00:26:14,140
Take this sign from the common Egyptian.
Don't you think it looks a bit like this hieroglyph?
321
00:26:15,350 --> 00:26:16,465
A little.
322
00:26:16,910 --> 00:26:21,347
Don't you see what I'm saying? If the hieroglyphs
are connected to common Egyptian,
323
00:26:21,430 --> 00:26:24,945
they're the script of a language,
not vague mystical symbols.
324
00:26:25,470 --> 00:26:28,906
Interesting theory.
And you think this Coptic will help?
325
00:26:28,990 --> 00:26:32,665
Well, maybe.
If I can use it to work out common Egyptian.
326
00:26:33,550 --> 00:26:37,623
Test me, go on, I'm pretty good.
Ask me to name anything.
327
00:26:37,910 --> 00:26:41,585
- All right. Chair.
- "Sey".
328
00:26:41,670 --> 00:26:43,740
- Table.
- "Sotchee".
329
00:26:44,750 --> 00:26:46,263
- Bed.
- "Loll".
330
00:26:47,070 --> 00:26:48,788
I can't see much else.
331
00:26:50,110 --> 00:26:52,863
Ah, sun.
332
00:26:55,070 --> 00:26:56,549
"Ray".
333
00:26:57,310 --> 00:27:01,383
It's my favourite. Don't you just love that sound?
334
00:27:03,470 --> 00:27:04,823
"Ray".
335
00:27:04,910 --> 00:27:08,220
Stop showing off. Now, what's Coptic for lunch?
336
00:27:23,310 --> 00:27:27,940
Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!
337
00:27:28,790 --> 00:27:31,543
- What is it?
- Look at this.
338
00:27:34,190 --> 00:27:39,105
Look at this from the stone and
this from our papyrus. What's the difference?
339
00:27:40,710 --> 00:27:44,259
Well, it looks like the same cartouche
except the other way round.
340
00:27:44,870 --> 00:27:46,747
You know what that means?
341
00:27:46,830 --> 00:27:50,220
You must be able to read hieroglyphs
in either direction.
342
00:27:50,710 --> 00:27:55,022
- Well, how do you know which direction to choose?
- Precisely.
343
00:28:03,230 --> 00:28:08,543
This stops me in my tracks.
I'd assumed left to right
344
00:28:08,630 --> 00:28:12,748
as everything else on the Rosetta Stone
appears to be read that way, but this...
345
00:28:23,030 --> 00:28:24,429
Wrong!
346
00:28:24,550 --> 00:28:29,021
- What?
- It's a simple reflection, everything is turned!
347
00:28:29,910 --> 00:28:35,143
Look! The heads must face the start of the word.
348
00:28:35,270 --> 00:28:38,387
- That's how we know which way to read them.
- Oh.
349
00:28:38,950 --> 00:28:40,303
Well done.
350
00:28:41,150 --> 00:28:45,302
NARRATOR: Young now began to publisha series of significant advances.
351
00:28:45,630 --> 00:28:48,906
Most impressively,he suggested how the name Ptolemy
352
00:28:48,990 --> 00:28:51,550
was spelt out in hieroglyphs.
353
00:28:52,790 --> 00:28:58,740
Champollion, by contrast, was still preoccupiedwith the practical task of earning a living.
354
00:29:00,030 --> 00:29:03,739
Assistant Professor.
Has quite a ring to it, doesn't it?
355
00:29:03,830 --> 00:29:06,708
- It's a start.
- You'll be a great teacher.
356
00:29:06,790 --> 00:29:10,021
Can't imagine you standing there
saying, "Enlighten us," like old Sacy.
357
00:29:10,110 --> 00:29:14,103
- What about you, Jean?
- Ah, I'll find something.
358
00:29:14,190 --> 00:29:18,627
Though times are changing. Who knows what
the future holds in store for republicans like us?
359
00:29:20,870 --> 00:29:26,627
- You mustn't give up on those hieroglyphs.
- I won't, though sometimes I feel like it.
360
00:29:29,470 --> 00:29:32,143
Look at this, my latest clues.
361
00:29:32,230 --> 00:29:36,542
See this sign? Here it is in the Coptic,
then into the common Egyptian,
362
00:29:37,270 --> 00:29:42,105
then into the Ancient Egyptian and finally into
the hieroglyphs, the oldest sign of them all.
363
00:29:45,070 --> 00:29:50,064
Which reminds me,
almost as old as your breeches.
364
00:29:51,870 --> 00:29:55,101
Spare pair.
No assistant professor should be without them.
365
00:29:58,030 --> 00:29:59,509
Thank you.
366
00:30:06,750 --> 00:30:10,220
- Ah, you clumsy oaf.
- I'm so sorry.
367
00:30:11,310 --> 00:30:15,508
- Rosine?
- Jean-Francois? I thought it was you.
368
00:30:16,270 --> 00:30:21,549
My God, you look so...
Well, you're older, aren't you? Of course you are.
369
00:30:23,350 --> 00:30:26,706
- Are you back from Paris to stay?
- Yes, I'm back with Jacques-Joseph and Zoe.
370
00:30:26,790 --> 00:30:30,021
- They seem so happy together.
- They are. I'm very envious.
371
00:30:31,150 --> 00:30:36,178
- You'd like to have married Zoe?
- Oh, no, I mean... Well, I don't know what I mean.
372
00:30:37,430 --> 00:30:39,307
My mother, I have to go.
373
00:30:42,230 --> 00:30:44,107
Can I see you again?
374
00:30:57,910 --> 00:31:01,300
It is our duty as scientists to question everything,
375
00:31:01,390 --> 00:31:05,622
whether it is the right of those who govern us
or the power of those who direct our beliefs.
376
00:31:06,510 --> 00:31:11,664
You must always remember
the study of ancient history is a quest for truth,
377
00:31:12,430 --> 00:31:15,740
however uncomfortable that truth may be. Andre?
378
00:31:15,830 --> 00:31:19,266
Professor Champollion,
will we be studying hieroglyphs?
379
00:31:19,350 --> 00:31:23,263
Yes. Yes, we most certainly will.
380
00:31:26,390 --> 00:31:27,789
Thank you.
381
00:31:35,390 --> 00:31:38,860
NARRATOR: In 1815,defeat at the Battle of Waterloo
382
00:31:38,950 --> 00:31:42,659
meant the end for Napoleonand the short-lived French Republic.
383
00:31:46,670 --> 00:31:49,184
France was thrown into political turmoil.
384
00:32:05,470 --> 00:32:09,258
- How did it go today?
- Well, thank you, Zoe.
385
00:32:09,750 --> 00:32:12,423
Yeah, they're so keen to learn,
especially about Egypt.
386
00:32:12,510 --> 00:32:15,343
Sometimes it's difficult
to get them off the subject.
387
00:32:17,310 --> 00:32:19,699
I called by to see Rosine on my way home.
388
00:32:24,550 --> 00:32:28,987
- How is she?
- Wonderful, as always.
389
00:32:30,230 --> 00:32:32,903
I even managed
a few words with her father this time.
390
00:32:35,230 --> 00:32:37,790
- I find him very difficult.
- Hmm.
391
00:32:37,870 --> 00:32:39,940
What on earth do you talk about?
392
00:32:40,030 --> 00:32:42,180
Nothing much.
393
00:32:42,310 --> 00:32:44,380
I just asked for his daughter's hand in marriage.
394
00:32:44,470 --> 00:32:48,668
(Choking) Marry Rosine Blanc? You can't.
395
00:32:48,750 --> 00:32:51,310
- Why not?
- She's just a girl.
396
00:32:51,390 --> 00:32:55,019
- She has no interest in languages or your work.
- Then I'll teach her.
397
00:32:55,110 --> 00:32:58,022
- Isn't her father a Royalist?
- Well, I'll teach him, too.
398
00:32:58,110 --> 00:32:59,862
(Knocking at door)
399
00:33:00,030 --> 00:33:03,784
- He couldn't possibly have agreed to the match?
- No, but I shall work on him.
400
00:33:03,870 --> 00:33:07,465
And what if his future son-in-law's
the first man to translate hieroglyphs?
401
00:33:08,150 --> 00:33:11,938
I have a warrant for the arrest of Jacques-Joseph
and Jean-Francois Champollion.
402
00:33:12,790 --> 00:33:14,143
On what charge?
403
00:33:14,230 --> 00:33:17,984
Using the university library to hold
political meetings and plotting against the King.
404
00:33:18,070 --> 00:33:21,779
- That's not true.
- You've been found guilty of sedition.
405
00:33:22,150 --> 00:33:26,189
You'll be removed from your teaching posts
and exiled to your father's home in Figeac.
406
00:33:36,110 --> 00:33:37,748
I'll wait for you!
407
00:33:48,190 --> 00:33:50,340
(Mumbling)
408
00:33:53,470 --> 00:33:55,142
Fourteen.
409
00:33:56,350 --> 00:33:57,942
Priest.
410
00:33:59,030 --> 00:34:00,543
Fourteen.
411
00:34:03,190 --> 00:34:04,589
Priest.
412
00:34:05,550 --> 00:34:08,860
Fourteen to the left.
413
00:34:11,670 --> 00:34:12,944
Ah!
414
00:34:14,870 --> 00:34:17,179
Here it is.
415
00:34:17,270 --> 00:34:21,343
This, my dear Gurney,
is the hieroglyph for "priest".
416
00:34:25,270 --> 00:34:32,187
That means you've found "God",
"king", "Osiris", "Isis" and now "priest".
417
00:34:33,110 --> 00:34:36,864
- Well, wait till the French see this.
- I'm not sure we need to worry.
418
00:34:38,150 --> 00:34:42,109
Sacy tells me that poor old Champollion
has fallen foul of the new rulers
419
00:34:42,190 --> 00:34:44,465
and been thrown out of his job.
420
00:34:53,070 --> 00:34:55,504
NARRATOR: And there wasmore good news for Young
421
00:34:55,590 --> 00:34:58,423
thanks to the explorer Giovanni Belzoni.
422
00:34:59,350 --> 00:35:01,784
Hamet. There.
423
00:35:04,910 --> 00:35:08,949
NARRATOR: His quest for Egyptian artefactshad taken him to the south of Egypt.
424
00:35:16,670 --> 00:35:21,141
And whilst he hadn't managed to unearthanother copy of the Rosetta Stone,
425
00:35:21,230 --> 00:35:25,667
at the temple of Philae,he claimed an ancient Egyptian artefact
426
00:35:25,750 --> 00:35:28,389
which promised to be almost as useful.
427
00:35:29,430 --> 00:35:33,582
What did I tell you?
I could fill 10 boats from this place.
428
00:35:34,990 --> 00:35:40,667
This is beautiful. Don't you wonder what it means?
429
00:35:40,950 --> 00:35:42,986
NARRATOR: One of the few men in the world
430
00:35:43,070 --> 00:35:45,789
who might have knownwhat was written on this obelisk
431
00:35:45,870 --> 00:35:50,261
was in exile in the French countryside,Jean-Francois Champollion.
432
00:35:51,110 --> 00:35:55,786
But his brother Jacques-Joseph's long campaignto get him released finally paid off.
433
00:35:56,310 --> 00:35:59,347
Champollion was all set to return to Paris.
434
00:36:13,870 --> 00:36:18,102
GURNEY: Belzoni brought this obelisk
from the island of Philae.
435
00:36:22,350 --> 00:36:26,946
Apparently there's a Greek inscription on the base
that mentions Cleopatra.
436
00:36:31,310 --> 00:36:36,179
In which case, this should be her cartouche.
437
00:36:39,950 --> 00:36:45,582
What if Champollion's already got a copy
now that he's back in Paris?
438
00:36:46,830 --> 00:36:49,424
Then we've got a race on our hands.
439
00:36:54,190 --> 00:36:56,306
- Have you done it?
- Almost.
440
00:36:56,390 --> 00:37:01,305
I have a P, an O and an L
from Ptolemy already. And this must be a K.
441
00:37:01,750 --> 00:37:06,540
It's Cleopatra, I'm sure of it. It's an obelisk
from England sent to me by an old college friend.
442
00:37:06,630 --> 00:37:10,384
But can you trust him? We've hardly had
any reliable copies of anything yet.
443
00:37:10,510 --> 00:37:14,742
If this is right, then so am I. Let me show you.
444
00:37:16,070 --> 00:37:19,142
This is what I think the Cleopatra cartouche
should look like.
445
00:37:23,310 --> 00:37:30,102
My God, they're identical.
You've beaten him, you can read hieroglyphs.
446
00:37:30,190 --> 00:37:34,547
No, I can't. Cleopatra is a modern Greek name
translated into hieroglyphs.
447
00:37:34,630 --> 00:37:38,066
I need to prove that I can read
real Ancient Egyptian names.
448
00:37:38,150 --> 00:37:40,903
Names written in hieroglyphs in the first place.
449
00:37:41,510 --> 00:37:46,982
Maybe Sacy was right all along.
Maybe ancient hieroglyphs are just silent symbols.
450
00:37:55,510 --> 00:37:58,547
NARRATOR: But Champollionhad taken an important step.
451
00:37:59,230 --> 00:38:02,745
He had worked outa hypothetical hieroglyphic alphabet.
452
00:38:02,830 --> 00:38:05,867
And by using it to writethe cartouche for Cleopatra,
453
00:38:05,950 --> 00:38:09,022
he now had evidencethat the alphabet was correct.
454
00:38:11,070 --> 00:38:14,062
He had done this not just by logical deduction,
455
00:38:14,150 --> 00:38:17,586
but by using the languages of Copticand common Egyptian
456
00:38:17,670 --> 00:38:20,662
to work out the precise sounds of each hieroglyph.
457
00:38:33,310 --> 00:38:38,430
William Bankes' obelisk now stands inthe grounds of the Kingston Lacy Estate in Dorset.
458
00:38:39,350 --> 00:38:43,582
Ironically, although it looked like giving Youngan advantage in the race,
459
00:38:43,670 --> 00:38:46,980
the obelisk ended upmaking his life more difficult.
460
00:38:47,150 --> 00:38:51,189
Because in his reading of its hieroglyphs,he made a crucial mistake.
461
00:38:57,510 --> 00:38:59,740
Damn it, there's always something!
462
00:39:00,110 --> 00:39:04,069
It says "Cleopatra" in the Greek,
but the first hieroglyph's clearly wrong.
463
00:39:05,750 --> 00:39:10,426
You know, Gurney, sometimes I'd rather
have my teeth pulled.
464
00:39:31,910 --> 00:39:34,026
(Knocking at door)
465
00:39:45,470 --> 00:39:48,064
Oh, my God, Letronne! What are you doing here?
466
00:39:49,030 --> 00:39:52,386
For you. Drawings.
Friend of mine's just been to Egypt.
467
00:39:52,710 --> 00:39:55,907
Heard Young was getting close
so I thought you might need them.
468
00:39:56,030 --> 00:39:59,386
That is kind. Come in, come in.
469
00:40:00,710 --> 00:40:04,146
It's a ruined temple at Abu Simbel.
Any use to you?
470
00:40:04,230 --> 00:40:07,984
Oh, it's beautiful.
What I wouldn't give to be standing there.
471
00:40:08,990 --> 00:40:11,299
LETRONNE: Who's in the cartouche?
472
00:40:12,910 --> 00:40:16,186
I don't know, I've not seen that one before.
473
00:40:23,470 --> 00:40:26,223
NARRATOR: Abu Simbel was an ancient temple.
474
00:40:26,390 --> 00:40:31,828
This monument was constructed long beforethe country was colonised by Alexander the Great
475
00:40:31,910 --> 00:40:34,902
so the hieroglyphs which covered its wallswere old enough
476
00:40:34,990 --> 00:40:37,902
never to have been corrupted by ancient Greek.
477
00:40:46,350 --> 00:40:50,980
The man who built this temple is widely seenas the greatest pharaoh of them all.
478
00:40:51,510 --> 00:40:56,106
And when this huge complex was constructed,he was at the height of his power.
479
00:41:01,550 --> 00:41:05,987
The four 65-foot statueswhich guard the entrance to the building
480
00:41:06,070 --> 00:41:08,345
were images of the pharaoh himself.
481
00:41:20,590 --> 00:41:24,469
A smaller temple at the side wasa monument to love,
482
00:41:24,550 --> 00:41:26,780
a pharaoh's love for his queen.
483
00:41:42,430 --> 00:41:47,709
It was Giovanni Belzoni himselfwho had discovered the inner temple in 1817.
484
00:41:50,030 --> 00:41:51,543
Time to go in.
485
00:42:02,750 --> 00:42:04,263
Despite his achievement,
486
00:42:04,350 --> 00:42:07,820
Belzoni was unable to readthe thousands of hieroglyphs
487
00:42:07,910 --> 00:42:09,821
that covered the temple walls.
488
00:42:10,550 --> 00:42:13,667
Now I understand the man who built this.
489
00:42:13,750 --> 00:42:17,504
I don't know his name,
but I know he is a real showman.
490
00:42:20,790 --> 00:42:24,988
Champollion would now attemptto read the name of this ancient pharaoh
491
00:42:25,070 --> 00:42:28,028
for the first time in over a thousand years.
492
00:42:48,350 --> 00:42:53,583
- There.
- Remember Sacy? Enlighten us.
493
00:42:54,910 --> 00:42:58,141
How close are we to enlightenment
after all these years?
494
00:42:58,230 --> 00:43:01,540
Well, we know that it's a royal name.
495
00:43:01,630 --> 00:43:04,986
True. And this is an ancient temple,
it's not Greek or Roman.
496
00:43:07,070 --> 00:43:11,541
- What does that one look like to you?
- I always thought it was like the sun.
497
00:43:11,750 --> 00:43:13,980
What if it was more than just a symbol?
498
00:43:14,070 --> 00:43:17,062
What if this ancient hieroglyph
also made a sound?
499
00:43:17,590 --> 00:43:21,629
- Would Coptic help?
- The Coptic for sun is "Ray".
500
00:43:21,910 --> 00:43:26,267
And the Egyptian god was also known as Ra.
501
00:43:26,350 --> 00:43:31,583
And I know this one. This double hieroglyph
at the end makes the "S" sound in Ptolemaios.
502
00:43:32,510 --> 00:43:36,389
- What about that one?
- I don't know. But what if it was the letter "M"?
503
00:43:37,790 --> 00:43:42,545
Ra-m-S. Ramess.
504
00:43:45,030 --> 00:43:46,543
Ramesses!
505
00:43:51,030 --> 00:43:54,705
The "M" was a guess also based on Coptic.
506
00:43:54,790 --> 00:43:57,907
But he was right, this is Ramesses.
507
00:43:58,750 --> 00:44:04,222
The pharaoh had spoken and Champollionhad heard his voice across the millennia.
508
00:44:04,750 --> 00:44:07,548
By translating the hieroglyphs for Ramesses,
509
00:44:07,630 --> 00:44:10,986
Champollion proved he could readthe code of the pharaohs.
510
00:44:11,310 --> 00:44:14,746
He was now able to confirmthat his hieroglyphic alphabet
511
00:44:14,830 --> 00:44:19,346
could be extended to read wordswritten over 3,000 years ago.
512
00:44:20,830 --> 00:44:24,743
He'd done it by going backwards in time,beginning with the Coptic,
513
00:44:24,830 --> 00:44:28,903
then common Egyptian,finally arriving at ancient hieroglyphs.
514
00:44:36,990 --> 00:44:41,302
Champollion at last had the keyto making the mysterious hieroglyphs
515
00:44:41,390 --> 00:44:44,860
that covered every temple wall in Egyptspeak their secrets.
516
00:44:45,430 --> 00:44:51,107
The word "Ra"in Ramesses is directly relatedto the Coptic word "Ray", meaning sun.
517
00:44:51,750 --> 00:44:55,982
The rest of his name was also a Coptic expressionmeaning "born of".
518
00:45:08,350 --> 00:45:12,582
In Ancient Egyptian culture,Ra was the creator of Egypt,
519
00:45:12,670 --> 00:45:16,822
a sun god, one of the most importantof all Egyptian deities.
520
00:45:16,910 --> 00:45:20,220
He was represented with a disc,the sun, on his head.
521
00:45:20,790 --> 00:45:23,941
All pharaohs were said to be related to him.
522
00:45:24,590 --> 00:45:28,947
The name Ramesses literally means"child of the sun god".
523
00:45:31,870 --> 00:45:37,740
Champollion had worked out that the hieroglyphsweren't only symbols, but also a language.
524
00:45:38,190 --> 00:45:42,627
He now possessed the first cluesfor bringing ancient Egypt back to life.
525
00:45:46,990 --> 00:45:51,268
Champollion's revelation happenedin the autumn of 1822,
526
00:45:51,350 --> 00:45:54,422
24 years after the stone had been discovered.
527
00:45:54,510 --> 00:45:55,738
Sorry.
528
00:45:56,230 --> 00:45:58,585
I've done it. I've done it.
529
00:46:00,750 --> 00:46:04,743
Jean-Francois! Jean-Francois! Jean-Francois!
530
00:46:09,710 --> 00:46:11,621
But there was a twist.
531
00:46:11,710 --> 00:46:15,828
Champollion's exhausting achievementedged him into dangerous territory.
532
00:46:17,190 --> 00:46:19,499
The Catholic Church was deeply concerned
533
00:46:19,590 --> 00:46:22,548
about what an understandingof the hieroglyphs might lead to.
534
00:46:23,070 --> 00:46:25,538
The reason? Noah's flood.
535
00:46:26,390 --> 00:46:32,101
Biblical scholars dated the eventto the year 2349 BC.
536
00:46:33,150 --> 00:46:36,540
If the hieroglyphs provedthat the whole Egyptian civilisation
537
00:46:36,630 --> 00:46:40,066
had begun before the floodwas supposed to have happened
538
00:46:40,150 --> 00:46:45,588
and continued unaffected by it, then that wouldcreate a serious problem for the Church.
539
00:46:46,070 --> 00:46:50,860
As far as the Church was concerned at the time,the Bible was historically accurate.
540
00:46:51,510 --> 00:46:54,866
So if the code of the pharaohs provedthat it wasn't,
541
00:46:54,990 --> 00:46:58,107
the Church's teachingwould be seriously undermined.
542
00:47:04,870 --> 00:47:07,065
This new area of study...
543
00:47:08,470 --> 00:47:13,066
I suppose one must bow to fashion
and call it Egyptology...
544
00:47:14,150 --> 00:47:17,381
raises some interesting questions, does it not?
545
00:47:17,590 --> 00:47:22,903
Indeed, particularly about the age and origins
of the world.
546
00:47:22,990 --> 00:47:27,222
Exactly. So my question to you is this.
547
00:47:29,030 --> 00:47:31,942
Whose side is he on?
548
00:47:32,070 --> 00:47:38,100
Whatever I might think of his political views,
Father Abbot, Champollion is a brilliant scholar.
549
00:47:38,230 --> 00:47:41,267
And therefore, in this field,
550
00:47:42,190 --> 00:47:44,704
if he is not a strict adherent to the faith,
551
00:47:44,790 --> 00:47:48,578
he is a danger to the Church, wouldn't you say?
552
00:47:48,670 --> 00:47:51,025
Only if he succeeds.
553
00:47:55,670 --> 00:47:59,709
Jean-Francois! Jean-Francois! Jean-Francois!
554
00:48:02,230 --> 00:48:05,540
Thank God. I thought you were going to die.
555
00:48:07,190 --> 00:48:11,388
You don't get rid of me that easily.
There's still too much work to be done.
556
00:48:12,750 --> 00:48:14,502
It's time to tell people.
557
00:48:16,150 --> 00:48:20,063
NARRATOR: Champollion started tolet the world know what he'd discovered
558
00:48:20,150 --> 00:48:23,540
in books, pamphlets and a series of lectures.
559
00:48:30,830 --> 00:48:32,900
- Has he done it?
- I don't know.
560
00:48:32,990 --> 00:48:35,550
You said it would be impossible,
that's what I told the Holy Father.
561
00:48:35,630 --> 00:48:37,905
- That may yet be true.
- But you don't know that.
562
00:48:37,990 --> 00:48:39,981
If a loose cannon like Champollion
can read hieroglyphs,
563
00:48:40,070 --> 00:48:41,947
who knows what he'll attempt to discover.
564
00:48:42,030 --> 00:48:44,908
The Church, and the Church alone,
declares the dates of the world's creation.
565
00:48:44,990 --> 00:48:46,821
Do you want that power in his hands?
566
00:48:46,910 --> 00:48:50,186
- Monsieur Champollion.
- Professor, good to see you.
567
00:48:50,270 --> 00:48:51,703
- Hello.
- Sir.
568
00:48:53,870 --> 00:48:55,383
Champollion.
569
00:48:58,470 --> 00:49:01,189
- Welcome.
- Nice to meet you. Thank you.
570
00:49:01,630 --> 00:49:03,302
This way, please.
571
00:49:06,750 --> 00:49:08,820
Wish me luck.
572
00:49:17,390 --> 00:49:20,507
NARRATOR: Thomas Young was in Parisfor one of his lectures.
573
00:49:23,630 --> 00:49:27,942
It has long been believed
that the hieroglyphic script of ancient Egypt
574
00:49:28,070 --> 00:49:30,903
is a silent representation of ideas.
575
00:49:32,150 --> 00:49:36,701
But as Thomas Young in England has already
indicated in his studies,
576
00:49:36,790 --> 00:49:41,989
the names of the Greek and Roman pharaohs
of Egypt were spelled out in hieroglyphs
577
00:49:42,070 --> 00:49:45,346
that could be read. I agree with him.
578
00:49:46,110 --> 00:49:48,704
But no one, not even Doctor Young,
579
00:49:48,790 --> 00:49:52,226
has claimed that hieroglyphs
from any other period
580
00:49:52,310 --> 00:49:57,828
could be read or spoken, until today.
And that is what I believe.
581
00:49:57,990 --> 00:50:00,140
(Murmuring)
582
00:50:00,230 --> 00:50:02,949
Can you prove this, Monsieur Champollion?
583
00:50:09,390 --> 00:50:13,429
Let us start with a cartouche.
584
00:50:13,950 --> 00:50:17,101
And now four simple hieroglyphs.
585
00:50:18,070 --> 00:50:19,708
Here at the end of the cartouche,
586
00:50:19,790 --> 00:50:22,907
we have a hieroglyph
also seen at the end of Ptolemaios.
587
00:50:23,350 --> 00:50:25,818
Making the sound "S".
588
00:50:29,110 --> 00:50:34,946
This I strongly believe to be an "M".
And here we have something else.
589
00:50:35,830 --> 00:50:41,223
Not just a symbol, but a sound.
A sign indicating the sun.
590
00:50:41,870 --> 00:50:45,909
In Coptic, "Ray" but also known as the god Ra.
591
00:50:47,030 --> 00:50:51,387
Which gives us Ra-m-ss.
592
00:50:52,550 --> 00:50:54,302
Ramesses.
593
00:50:54,390 --> 00:50:58,827
An ancient Egyptian
and not a Greek pharaonic name.
594
00:51:00,190 --> 00:51:07,141
Surely this is guesswork, not science.
The ancient hieroglyphs are silent.
595
00:51:11,230 --> 00:51:13,346
There was another cartouche at Abu Simbel.
596
00:51:20,830 --> 00:51:25,381
We have the M and the S. But what is this bird?
597
00:51:26,870 --> 00:51:33,059
To me it looks like the Egyptian ibis.
A bird associated with which god?
598
00:51:33,510 --> 00:51:38,061
- Thoth.
- Exactly, Professor Sacy.
599
00:51:39,670 --> 00:51:44,300
Another symbolic hieroglyph
that also provides us with a sound.
600
00:51:44,390 --> 00:51:46,950
The sound that you have
so eloquently pronounced.
601
00:51:48,150 --> 00:51:55,022
Put these sounds together
and we have Thoth-Mo-Sis. Tuthmosis.
602
00:51:55,950 --> 00:52:02,344
The name of pharaohs who ruled 1,500 years
before Alexander the Great conquered Egypt.
603
00:52:02,430 --> 00:52:04,148
(Murmuring)
604
00:52:07,670 --> 00:52:12,983
What this means, gentlemen, is that hieroglyphs
are the script of a spoken language.
605
00:52:13,910 --> 00:52:16,982
With further study,
we may be able to read all hieroglyphs
606
00:52:17,070 --> 00:52:20,426
back to the beginning
of ancient Egyptian civilisation.
607
00:52:21,630 --> 00:52:24,622
Knowledge of this hidden time
may provide us with the answers
608
00:52:24,710 --> 00:52:27,463
of questions that have long troubled us.
609
00:52:27,950 --> 00:52:32,023
For example, the exact origins of the world.
610
00:53:15,190 --> 00:53:18,341
Monsieur Champollion? Thomas Young.
611
00:53:19,790 --> 00:53:22,350
- We meet at last.
- Congratulations.
612
00:53:22,430 --> 00:53:25,183
You've done well
to extend my hieroglyphic alphabet.
613
00:53:26,110 --> 00:53:29,785
But as you said,
this theory of yours is still untested.
614
00:53:29,870 --> 00:53:34,705
Oh, I fully intend to test it
on every papyrus and document I can find.
615
00:53:34,790 --> 00:53:38,863
My dream is to go to Egypt and read
from the tombs and monuments themselves.
616
00:53:39,910 --> 00:53:44,381
- This is just the beginning.
- Well, we shall see.
617
00:53:45,630 --> 00:53:50,420
You seem to have staked your entire life's work
and reputation on proving this theory.
618
00:53:51,310 --> 00:53:54,939
What can I say?
Good luck to you, Monsieur Champollion.
619
00:54:09,750 --> 00:54:13,663
Champollion has yet to prove
that he can read all hieroglyphs.
620
00:54:13,750 --> 00:54:17,140
That's little comfort to the Church, Professor Sacy.
621
00:54:17,230 --> 00:54:19,027
I've heard enough to know
622
00:54:19,110 --> 00:54:23,661
that this man
has the power to undermine all of us.
623
00:54:23,750 --> 00:54:25,547
He must be stopped.
55657
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