Jean-François Champollion was responsible for one of the major world discoveries of the 19th century: the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphs. A museum, in the birthplace of the "father of Egyptology", proposes to dive into this adventure and to understand, more globally, the importance of writing in the history of humanity.
Fascinated by Antiquity from a very young age, Jean-François Champollion (born in 1790 in the Lot region of France), certainly did not suspect that by dint of perseverance he would be the first to discover the secrets of the 3 Egyptian scripts that had remained mysterious for so long. It was in 1822, after many hypotheses and questionings, that he had the intuition that each hieroglyph could be interpreted figuratively, symbolically and... phonetically!
After his studies of ancient languages (notably on the famous Rosetta Stone), it was indeed not obvious to understand this particularity of the Egyptian language. Moreover, in spite of his recognized expertise (at only 18 years old, he was appointed assistant professor of history at the University of Grenoble), his contemporaries were numerous to doubt his discovery. Fortunately, it was eventually recognized as "honorable not only for the scholar who made it, but also for the Nation" by King Louis-Philippe.
I am everything to Egypt, it is everything to me.
Located in Figeac, in the Champollion family home, the museum is dedicated to the world history of writing. Behind its beautiful facade with a thousand letters, the collections tell the story of this human invention which, for more than 5 300 years, has shaped our history. At the same time intellectual, political and economic, writing has indeed allowed humanity to structure and transmit its knowledge, to express opinions or to organize the exchange of goods.
From Mexico to China, passing through the Near East, different objects (written with a brush, a calamus or a pen) illustrate this fabulous history through a journey in time through the cultures of the whole world. Within this museum created in 1977, an important place is of course dedicated to the illustrious decipherer of hieroglyphs and to this Egyptian heritage which, still today, fascinates the crowds.
On site, several thematic visits allow visitors to learn about the founding writings. Several games are also offered to children, such as an investigation on the broken nose of Prince Achour-Malik or on a curse preventing a mummy from reaching the kingdom of Osiris. To discover the whole program and prepare your visit.
Valérie from Comme des Français
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Extend your journey back in time with these articles:
- The impressive ancient heritage of Arles
- Another famous 19th century character
- An open-air ecomuseum
Crédit photo : ©Paul-N. DUBUISSON / ©Luc Boegly-Agence Moatti et Rivière