The Keys of Egypt: The Race to Crack the Hieroglyph Code

A child prodigy, and brilliant linguist born in 1790, French scholar Jean Francois Champollion began his quest to crack the hieroglyphic code while still a schoolboy, beginning with the Rosetta Stone. For nearly two decades, he slowly pieced together the puzzle, always feeling the intense jealousy of his rivals in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden, who were also striving to stake their claim to the national pride and scientific immortality that would be bestowed on the victor.The Keys of Egypt presents his dogged pursuit as a riveting intellectual detective story, bringing vividly to life one of the milestones of scientific achievement. Richly narrated and flavored with fascinating historical detail, it reads like a novel, culminating in Champollion's 1822 triumph, when he finally solved the riddle of the hieroglyphs and revealed the glory of ancient Egypt to the world.