Scribes were the only people allowed to learn how to read and write hieroglyphics. The ancient Egyptians believed that Thoth, the God of Hieroglyphics, gave them the ability to write in this way.
Hieroglyphics were used until approximately 400 A.D. After that time, hieroglyphics were no longer used. They were replaced by a written language called "Coptic". It had 24 letters (taken from the Greek alphabet) and six other symbols representing specific Egyptian sounds. Over time, Arabic became the language used in Egypt and the knowledge of how to read and write in symbols was lost.
Scholars tried to interpret these ancient writings for centuries, but without success.
A breakthrough occurred in 1799, when French soldiers stationed at Rosetta, a town in the Nile Delta, discovered a stone with a set of three inscriptions on it. A piece of text had been carved into it in Greek, Demotic (another form of ancient Egyptian writing used from approximately 600 B.C.), and hieroglyphics. The Rosetta Stone was a type of dictionary!
Jean-Francois Champollion was the first person to "crack the code" of the hieroglyphics. He visited Egypt in 1828 to see the carvings in temples and was able to interpret them correctly. Champollion died in 1832 from a stroke, but his notes, translations, and drawings remain for others to study.
As for the Rosetta Stone, it can be found as part of the British Museum's permanent collection.
Would you like to see what your name would look like in hieroglyphics? Check out this Web site: http://www.kingtut-treasures.com/hiero.h...
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