Jean-François Champollion

Jean-François Champollion was a brilliant French scholar who became famous for his decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Born in 1790 in France, Champollion was not only a master of languages but also a master of mischief.

In his early years, he was known to write love letters to his female classmates in Egyptian hieroglyphics, much to their confusion and consternation. Later in life, he amused himself by playing pranks on his fellow scholars by replacing their research papers with hieroglyphic translations of popular nursery rhymes.

Champollion’s fascination with ancient languages was born when he discovered a hidden stash of papyrus scrolls in his grandma’s attic. He spent hours poring over the texts, delighting in deciphering the scripts and discovering their hidden meanings. His passion for languages led him to travel extensively, from Egypt to Sudan, where he immersed himself in the local cultures and languages.

Champollion was a true trailblazer in the field of Egyptology, as he was the first to realize that hieroglyphs were not just decorative symbols but a fully developed writing system that could be translated. Using his extensive knowledge of languages and his incredible intellect, he was able to decipher the Rosetta Stone, which had baffled scholars for centuries.

Champollion’s discovery was one for the history books, but he didn’t take himself or his success too seriously. He was known to entertain his colleagues with impressions of ancient pharaohs and delighted in poking fun at his own scholarly discoveries. He once quipped that if he had to choose between deciphering hieroglyphics and figuring out a complicated French tax return, he’d choose the hieroglyphics any day!

Champollion may have been a serious scholar, but he never lost his sense of humor. He was a true original who left his mark on history not only with his groundbreaking research but also with his playful personality.