Cracking Codes: The Rosetta Stone and Decipherment

This book was written as an accompanying extract to a British Museum exhibit celebrating the bicentenary of its discovery, and accurately presents the important Rosetta Stone. This is achieved by means of outlining the Stone's history, controversy around its discovery and its deciphering which gave the key to understanding the hieroglyphs. Using this as his starting point, the author continues to explore the role, power and importance of writing in Ancient Egypt as well as its many aspects (such as scribes and the tools used) and its relation to art. Other decipherments (Linear B and Meroitic) are also considered in this book. Readable, enjoyable and very informative, accompanied by black & white illustrations, it is recommended for anyone interested in the Ancient Egyptian language.

For those expecting to receive a high quality catalogue of the British Museum's Rosetta Stone exhibition, you will not be disappointed. But as an added bonus, the essays are not pedantic and dull, but eloquent and informative. They detail not only the finding of the stone and its impact on Egyptology, but also include chapters on the development of the Ancient Egyptian language, the scripts, tools used to write, and the ways in which these reflect the Egyptian world view.Richard Parkinson's writing style makes this a joy to read! I would recommend it not only to those interested in the exhibit (the photos are of excellent quality), but those interested in Ancient Egyptian language and Egypt in general.