Mind-Benders of Ancient Egyptian History
The name that unlocked a dead script
The last dated inscription written in Egyptian hieroglyphs was carved in 394 CE, and afterward the ability to read the script was lost for roughly 1,400 years. In 1822 Jean-Francois Champollion made his breakthrough by sounding out a royal cartouche and recognizing the name of Ramesses II, a king who had died more than three thousand years earlier.
How we know
Last dated hieroglyphic inscription: Graffito of Esmet-Akhom, Philae, 24 Aug 394 CE. Champollion's Abu Simbel/Ramesses breakthrough: 14 Sep 1822 (1822-394=1,428 yrs). Ramesses II died c.1213 BCE (1213+1822=3,035 yrs).
One of many fact-checked wonders across eight traditions at The Spring of Wisdom.