Bicentenary of Jean-François Champollion: the Egyptologist celebrated in Figeac

In Figeac (Lot), we are celebrating the anniversary of an extraordinary discovery: that made by Jean-François Champollion, the archaeologist who unraveled the mystery of hieroglyphics, 200 years ago. He is a country boy. In the city, there is a place Champollion, a bookstore and even a hotel in his name. “It’s a name that has gone down in history. I think everyone knows, Champollion, that he was the person who knew how to transcribe hieroglyphs”says a woman.

He will be the first to understand the meaning of these mysterious writings thanks to the Rosetta Stone, a copy of which the museum exhibits. We find on the stele a text in hieroglyphics and its translation into ancient Greek, which Champollion masters. This is how he deciphered the writing of the pharaohs. “This discovery will reveal Egypt completely. Even if we knew about the archaeological treasures (…), we did not understand them”, explains Stéphanie Lebreton, in charge of the service of the public and the collections at the museums of Figeac. The city organizes around fifty events for the anniversary: ​​conferences, exhibitions, and even an escape game for children.