The Ancient Egypt

Most of what is now known about ancient Egypt derives ultimately from that momentous discovery at Rosetta in 1799. The event was celebrated in a special exhibition at the British Museum in 1999, with the Rosetta Stone as the centrepiece. For the occasion, it was given a wash and brush-up, which revealed that it was not made of basalt, as had long been maintained, but of granite - just as its discoverers had first claimed.

• The Guardian - Sat 22 Sep 2001, article signed by TGH James, former keeper of Egyptian antiquities in the British Museum. (Adapted)