HOME PAGE   KAT STORE   DVD   MUSIC   HOT PHOTOS   ARTICLES   RADIO   GUESTBOOK   KAT BIO   CLASSICAL COMPOSERS   REVIEW COPIES   LINKS   CONTACT KAT		Jean-Francois Champollion (THE ROSETTA STONE -uncovered in 1799)   JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAMPOLLION BIOGRAPHY 1790-1832   JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAMPOLLION was a French Egyptologist, linguistic prodigy and the "Father of Egyptology."  Through the use of the ROSETTA STONE, Champollion was the FIRST person to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics.   Jean-Francois Champollion was born on December 23, 1790 in Figeac, France. When Champollion was a boy, he learned about the Rosetta Stone (uncovered in 1799), the famous monument which had Greek and Egyptian versions of the same text, which led to his interest in Egyptian civilization. Champollion was educated at the lyceum in Grenoble from 1801-1807.   Champollion was a linguistic prodigy, who studied Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Coptic, Greek, and Latin ALL by the age of 19. He also studied Oriental languages and in 1809 was appointed a teacher of history and politics at Grenoble. Champollion received patronage from King Louis XVIII and King Charles X, so he could concentrate on Egyptian language and archeology.   In 1821, by using the Rosetta Stone and other inscriptions, along with his mastery of Coptic language (newest form of ancient Egyptian language), Champollion established the principles for deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyphics.  The Rosetta Stone's text was inscribed in 2 languages: Egyptian and Greek and 3 writing systems, Greek, Hieroglyphics and Demotic (ancient Egyptian writing). As he analyzed the Rosetta Stone, Champollion recognized the Coptic language he was already a master of, was actually the NEWEST version of ANCIENT Egyptian language. THAT'S how Champollion deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphics.   In 1825, Champollion demonstrated in his "Summary of Hieroglyphic System of Ancient Egyptians" that a phonetic value could be assigned to hieroglyphics.   On March 4, 1832, Champollion suffered a stroke and died a the age of  42 in Paris, France. Champollion's brilliant work gave birth to the field of MODERN EGYPTOLOGY.     The contents of all music, photos, graphics, text and videos are protected by copyright and may not be used or reproduced without prior express written authorization from the publisher.