The Rosetta Stone: Cracking Open Hieroglyphs in Late Antiquity

In the late 1790s, Western explorers invaded Egypt and Syria, discovering the Rosetta Stone which unlocked the secrets of hieroglyphs. This marked the first time that hieroglyphs became accessible to the modern world. However, our understanding of ancient ideas is limited due to the loss of much material from antiquity. We often draw upon ideas from late antiquity, after the death of Christ, as these are the most readily available. The Jewish liturgy, for example, dates back to the Middle Ages. Overall, our perception of ancient ideas is often influenced by what has been preserved and what has been repressed throughout history.