The British Museum has kindly loaned Rye Museum a cast of the Rosetta Stone – do come to Rye and see this wonderful exhibition piece at the Museum on East Street. This site is open at weekends from 10:30am – 4:30 pm and will be open every day of Rye Arts Festival fortnight, September 15 to 30, volunteers permitting. The stone will be here until the end of October.
The original stone shows the three versions of a decree issued at Memphis, Egypt in 196 BC.
The top and middle texts are in Ancient Egyptian using hieroglyphic and Demotic scripts, whilst the bottom section is in Ancient Greek. The Rosetta Stone proved to be the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The original stone was found in 1799 during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt. British troops defeated the French there in 1801, when the stone came into British possession and was transported to London. It has been on public display at the British Museum almost continuously since 1802, and is one of the most visited objects there.
Rye Museum is delighted to have been chosen to display the copy.
The Museum at East Street is free to visit, but donations are welcome to help in the upkeep. As an independent museum, it receives no public funding, and much of the work is undertaken by volunteers.
Children are encouraged to visit and see the Rosetta Stone and they can learn to write their name using Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Additionally, at our Rye Castle/Ypres Tower site, there is a new smuggling exhibition with an audio tower and a hands-on display for children. New showcases have other local memorabilia including a blunderbuss from the Old Rye Bank. The Castle is open every day and charges a modest entry fee.
We look forward to your visit.
Source: Rye Museum
Image Credits: British Museum .