Ancient Mysteries (1994)

Season 3: Episode 26

For thousands of years, the rich history of ancient Egypt was sealed off from the world, a mystery obscured by the pictorial language of hieroglyphics. But in 1799, the breakthrough needed to decipher the hieroglyphs was accidentally discovered. The Rosetta Stone -- a cryptic, black stone tabled -- held the key to knowledge of ancient Egypt. Yet it could not be translated until 1822, twenty-three years after the discovery, when its meaning was finally revealed by Francois Champollion, a young French scholar. Ancient Mysteries explores his struggle to decipher the Rosetta Stone and the glorious secrets it uncovered.