Ancient Inscribed Slab Brought To Light (Another Rosetta Stone - Three Languages)

IOL ^ | 4-19-2004

[blam]

Ancient inscribed slab brought to light

April 19 2004 at 03:15PM

Potsdam - A team of German and Egyptian archaeologists working in the Nile Delta has unearthed "quite a remarkable" stele dating back 2 200 years to Ptolemaic Egypt which bears an identical inscription in three written languages - like the famed Rosetta Stone.

Announcing the find on Monday, University of Potsdam chief Egyptologist Christian Tietze said the stone fragment was "quite remarkable and the most significant of its kind to be found in Egypt in 120 years".

The grey granite stone, 99cm high and 84cm wide, was found "purely by accident" at the German excavation site of the ruined city of Bubastis, a once important religious and political centre 90km north-east of modern-day Cairo.

It shows a royal decree, written in ancient Greek, Demotic and Hieroglyphs, that mentions King Ptolemy III Euergetes I along with the date 238 BC.

"The decree is significant because it specifically mentions a reform of the ancient Egyptian calendar which was not in fact actually implemented until some 250 years later under Julius Caesar," Tietze said.

The inscription consists of 67 lines of Greek text and 24 lines of Demotic along with traces of Hieroglyphs outlining the calendar reform and praising Ptolemy.

The king is lauded for importing grain from Syria, Phoenicia and Cyprus to alleviate famine in ancient Egypt, among other deeds.

"It documents the might and beneficence of Ptolemy III," Tietze said.

Bubastis was the capital city of Egypt in the eighth Century BC. The temple where the Germany dig site is located was probably destroyed by an earthquake, according to Tietze.

The Rosetta Stone, named after the site where it was discovered in 1977, had an inscription in Greek, Demotic and Hieroglyphs which let to the decryption by Jean-Franaois Champollion of the ancient Egyptian language. The Rosetta Stone is now at the British Museum. - Sapa-dpa

[blam]

GGG ping.

[Doctor Stochastic]

...along with the date 238 BC.

How prescient! (Perhaps a date that would be equivalent to 238 BC.)

[Pearls Before Swine]

Multiculturalism is good... for archaeologists looking at the relics of the fallen civilization.

[irish guard]

and right in the middle of the stone it says.....all your base are belong to us!!!

[knarf]

" ... along with the date 238 BC."

H.G.Wells must've landed for a short time in his time machine and left a copy of the Bible.

How else could this be?

[Doctor Stochastic]

...The Rosetta Stone, named after the site where it was discovered in 1977,...

The author does seem to have trouble with dates. (There's some online services that could help him.) The Resetta Stone was neither discovered nor named in 1977. It was found in 1799.

[KarlInOhio]

The Rosetta Stone, named after the site where it was discovered in 1977,

More interesting was President Carter's reaction to Napoleon and his French Army marching through Egypt that year. (or maybe the author meant to type 1799)

[katana]

People in 238 BC marking a stele with that date certainly shows remarkable foresight.

Joking aside and just out of curiosity, it would have been interesting for them to say exactly how these people calculated and wrote the date. But I guess that's beyond what the writer could manage.

[68skylark]

The Rosetta Stone, named after the site where it was discovered in 1977.

I think the author has some dates confused. The Rosetta Stone was found in 1799.

[Pete]

The Rosetta Stone, named after the site where it was discovered in 1977

Actually, 1799.

I think this article is a joke. Someone has been had.

[Natural Law]

This is an interesting find, but nowhere near as revolutionaly as the Rosetta Stone. The three languages, Greek, Demotic (Common Egyptian "hand writing"), and hieroglyphs are all well understood today. At the time of the discovery of the Rosetta Stone hieroglyphics were indecipherable.

[Eva]

Interesting article, but I think we all had the thoughts regarding the dates.

[Old Professer]

What's the difference between this and finding both a nickel and a quarter in the couch cushions?

[Spunky]

Bump for later read.

Another win for the Kennewick Man scientists.

The story, "Scientists win another battle over Kennewick Man," has been posted to our site at:

Kennewick Man(click here)

[Charles Martel]

So, the Germans are digging in Egypt again, huh? That always makes me suspicious. ;-)

[Blzbba]

"What's the difference between this and finding both a nickel and a quarter in the couch cushions?"



Ummm...finding a nickel and a quarter would be a far-better investment of my time than was reading this article?

[Renfield]

In the ancient world, dates were usually expressed as the ordinal year of the current king's reign, i.e., "in the seventh year of Ptolemy's reign...". Archaeologists use these dates like tree-rings to work out a chronology system.

[Fifth Business]

What's the difference between this and finding both a nickel and a quarter in the couch cushions?

30 cents?

[Ditter]

LOL I had a question but your post took care of it.