Definition: French linguist Jean François Champollion is perhaps best known for his role in the pioneering decipherment of the previously unreadable ancient scripts of Egypt, and also for the identification of the languages (hieroglyphs, demotic and Greek) on the Rosetta stone. Educated at Grenoble and with a facility for ancient languages (including Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Chaldean, Chinese, Coptic, Ethiopic, Sanskrit, Zend, Pahlevi and Persian), Champollion was named chair of the department of Geography and History at the University of Grenoble and later was head curator at the Louvre Museum.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
