Ptolemy V c. 205–180 BC
The Rosetta Stone is a decree from Ptolemy V's reign, written in hieroglyphs, demotic and Greek. His cartouche was the first one Champollion read when he deciphered hieroglyphs in 1822.
Birth name: Ptolemaios
ptwlmys
Sign by sign
- Stool Q3p The sound p.
- Bread loaf X1t The sound t; also the feminine ending.
- Quail chick G43w The sound w; also a plural ending.
- Recumbent lion E23rw The sounds rw; spells L in names like Cleopatra and Ptolemy.
- Owl G17m The sound m; also means 'in'.
- Flowering reed M17i The sound i.
- Flowering reed M17i The sound i.
- Door bolt O34z The sound z (later s).
Names of gods (Ra, Amun, Ptah) are written first out of respect, even when they are read later. Dates are approximate; we follow Ian Shaw (ed.), The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000).