en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decipherment_of_ancient_Egyptian_scripts
1 correction found
The text was a decree issued in 197 BC by Ptolemy V
The Rosetta Stone decree dates to 196 BC, not 197 BC. British Museum sources identify the inscription as a priestly decree of Ptolemy V issued in 196 BC, specifically 27 March 196 BC.
Full reasoning
This sentence gives the Rosetta Stone decree the wrong year. Authoritative British Museum material dates the inscription to 196 BC, not 197 BC. The museum's collection record for the Rosetta Stone lists its production date as 196 BC and describes it as a priestly decree concerning Ptolemy V. A British Museum explainer likewise states that the inscriptions were carved in 196 BC and that the decree was issued by a council of priests in that year. So the article is off by one year here.
3 sources
- British Museum large-print guide for Hieroglyphs: unlocking ancient Egypt
The decree was drawn up on 27 March 196 BC.
- British Museum collection record: The Rosetta Stone (EA24)
Production date: 196BC ... The inscription on the Rosetta Stone is a decree passed by a council of priests ... affirm[ing] the royal cult of the 13-year-old Ptolemy V.
- British Museum: Everything you ever wanted to know about the Rosetta Stone
The inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone were carved in 196 BC ... The Rosetta Stone is therefore one of many mass-produced stelae designed to widely disseminate an agreement issued by a council of priests in 196 BC.