Its value as the key that unlocked the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs is world-famous—but the turbulent history surrounding the Rosetta Stone’s discovery and translation is more obscure.

It was in these volatile circumstances that Ptolemy V issued the Rosetta Stone ... writer Ahdaf Soueif for her view of this history: "This stone so makes me think of how often Egypt has been ...

It was in these volatile circumstances that Ptolemy V issued the Rosetta Stone ... writer Ahdaf Soueif for her view of this history: "This stone so makes me think of how often Egypt has been ...