第6节

  【】essanynehings.</p>

  itissafetosaythatindueurseoftitheywouldhave</p>

  givenupthewaysofsavagesandwouldhavedevelopeda</p>

  civilisationoftheiroeao</p>

  theirisolation.theyovered.</p>

  atravellerfronunknohlando</p>

  ountainpasseshadfoundhisway</p>

  totheefrobr></p>

  africa.hisho.</p>

  thevalleyofthenilehaddevelopedahighstageofcivilisation</p>

  thousandsofyearsbeforethepeopleofthehad</p>

  dreadofthepossibilitiesofaforkorawheelorahouse.</p>

  andhereforeleavereatgrandfathersin</p>

  theircaves,thesoutheaeshoresof</p>

  thediterranean,oodtheearliestschoolofthe</p>

  hunrace.</p>

  theegyptianshavetaughtusnythings.theywere</p>

  excellentfarrs.theykneirrigation.theybuilt</p>

  teleserhegreeksandh</p>

  servedastheearliestdelsforthehesinhweworship</p>

  noedadarhproved</p>

  sueasuringti</p>

  thatithassurvivedost</p>

  iortantofall,theegyptianshadleaedhoopreserve</p>

  speechforthebeoffuturegeions.theyhadied</p>

  theartofing.</p>

  edtoneagazines</p>

  thatakeitfrahattheworldhasalwaysbeen</p>

  abletoreadandatteroffact,ost</p>

  iortantofalliions,isquiteten</p>

  dotssanddogs,each</p>

  theirkittensandtheirpuppiesafeplethingsandwho,</p>

  becausetheyote,possessnohey</p>

  keuseoftheexperiehosegeionsofcatsand</p>

  dogsthathavegonebefore.</p>

  inthefirste</p>

  toegypt,theyfoundthevalleyfullelittlepictures</p>

  edtohavesothingtodohthehistory</p>

  oftheuntry.buttheronsiedin``anything</p>

  fnanddidnotinquireintotheinofthesequeer</p>

  figuresplesandthewallsof</p>

  thepalaadeoutofthe</p>

  papyrusreed.thelastoftheegyptiaswhohad</p>

  uoodtheholyartofkingsutureshaddiedseveral</p>

  yearsbefyptdeprivedofitsindependencehad</p>

  beeastorehousefilledportanthistorients</p>

  hlyuse</p>

  toeither.</p>

  seventeeuriesainedaland</p>

  ofstery.butintheyear1798afreneralbythe</p>

  naofbonapartehappeovisiteasteafricatoprepare</p>

  foranattackupoishindianlonies.hedid</p>

  beyondthenile,andhiscaaign,</p>

  quiteactally,thefausfrenchexpeditionsolvedthe</p>

  probleftheaegyptianpicturelanguage.</p>

  onedayayoungfrenuchboredbythedreary</p>

  lifeofhislittlefortressontherosettariverauthofthe</p>

  niledeagingang</p>

  theruinsofthea.andbeholdhefoundastone</p>

  .likeeverythingelsei</p>

  ithlittlefigures.butthisparticularslabof</p>

  blackbasaltanythingthathadeverbeen</p>

  disvered.itcarriedthreeinscriptions.ohesewas</p>

  ihegreeklanguagehatis</p>

  necessary,sohereasoned,``istoparethegreektexth</p>

  theegyptianfigures,andtheyoheirsecrets.</p>

  theplansoundedsileenoughbutittookrethan</p>

  <ear1802afrench</p>

  professorbythenaofchaolliooparethe</p>

  greekandtheegyptiasofthefausrosettastone.in</p>

  theyear18addisveredtheaning</p>

  offourteenlittlefigures.ashorttilaterhediedfrobr></p>

  overainprinciplesofegyptianinghad</p>

  beekoryofthevalleyofthenileis</p>

  betterknoississippiriver.</p>

  enrerdhousandyears</p>

  oficledhistory.</p>

  astheaegyptianhieroglyphicstheeans</p>

  ``sacredinghaveplayedsuchaverygreatrolein</p>

  history,afeindifiedforaveevenfoundtheir</p>

  ething</p>

  abouttheingenioussysteturiesago</p>

  topreservethespokening</p>

  geions.</p>

  ofurse,youknoasignlanguageis.every</p>

  indianstoryofoureplainshasachapterdevotedto</p>

  strangessagesoflittlepicturesh</p>

  tellhoanybuffaloesanyhunters</p>

  thereainparty.asaruleitisnotdifficultto</p>

  uandtheaningofsuchssages.</p>

  aegyptian,hoasignlanguage.the</p>

  cleverpeopleofthenilehadpassedbeyondthatstagelong</p>

  before.theirpicturesantagreatdealrethantheobject</p>

  heyrepresented,asishalltrytoexplaintoyounow.</p>

  supposethatyoupollion,andthatyouwere</p>

  exaningastackofpapyrussheets,allveredhhieroglyphics.</p>

  suddenlyyouanh</p>

  asaeansofursethat</p>

  afarrouttocutdoree.thenyoutakeanother</p>

  papyrus.ittellsthestoryofaqueentheage</p>

  ofeightytidstofasentenceappearsthepicture</p>

  ofthehandle</p>

  saustansothingelse.but</p>

  thatistheriddleanfinallysolved.</p>

  hedisveredthattheegyptianshefirsttouse</p>

  oftersh</p>

  reproducethe``soundorphohespokenwordand</p>

  akeitpossibleforustotranslateallourspokenwords</p>

  intoa,hthehelpofonlyafesanddashes</p>

  andpothooks.</p>

  letusretuforanttothelittlefellohthesaw.</p>

  theeaaintoolhyouwillfind</p>

  ihepastteheverb</p>

  ``tosee.</p>

  thisishadhappeheheurse</p>

  ofeantonlytheparticulartool</p>

  eaninghadbeenlostandit</p>

  ...</p>