The Stone That Unlocked Everything

For centuries, European scholars stared at Egyptian hieroglyphics in frustration. They could see the symbols carved into temple walls and obelisks — tantalizing fragments of an ancient civilization's wisdom. Some guessed at meanings. Others cataloged the shapes. But the full message remained locked behind an impenetrable code. Then in 1799, French soldiers digging near the town of Rashid unearthed a slab of black granodiorite — the Rosetta Stone.…