Worksheet

Ancient Egyptian Writing: Two Authors, Two Lenses

Compare two original articles about the Rosetta Stone, examining each author's focus, organization, details, and presentation.

Grade 6ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toRI.6.9

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1 Common Core standard
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13 questions
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Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 6
Subject: ELA
Question types: Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students compare how two authors present the discovery and decoding of the Rosetta Stone.
Students identify details that reveal differences in the authors' emphasis and organization.
Students support a comparison of two informational texts with evidence from both.

How to use

Have students read both articles and mark shared events. Then ask them to answer the comparison questions independently and discuss how each author's details shape the reader's understanding.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

RI.6.9

Compare how two authors present the same events, such as a memoir and a biography about the same person.

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Ancient Egyptian Writing: Two Authors, Two Lenses

Compare how two articles present the discovery and decoding of the Rosetta Stone.

Article A

Read this article about how scholars worked out the writing system.

Finding the Sounds Behind the Signs

1Imagine recognizing the objects in a written message but being unable to read it. A bird might look familiar without revealing what the writer meant. For centuries, scholars faced a similar problem with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Some assumed that the signs mainly represented ideas rather than sounds. To read the inscriptions, researchers needed more than careful drawings of the symbols: they needed a way to test what those symbols did.

2A stone discovered near the Egyptian town of Rosetta in 1799 offered that opportunity. Its inscription presented the same decree in three scripts: hieroglyphic, Demotic, and Greek. Scholars could already read ancient Greek. The Greek section therefore gave them the message to which they could compare the unfamiliar writing. However, the stone was broken, and its hieroglyphic section was especially incomplete. The comparison was a starting point, not a ready-made answer.

3Names provided useful clues because researchers could look for repeated groups of signs. The English scholar Thomas Young connected some hieroglyphic signs with sounds in the royal name Ptolemy. The French scholar Jean-François Champollion compared names and inscriptions too. His knowledge of Coptic, a later form of the Egyptian language, helped him connect ancient words with a language he understood. Each proposed reading had to fit evidence beyond a single sign.

4In 1822, Champollion announced a major breakthrough in understanding the system. Hieroglyphic writing could combine signs for sounds with signs representing words or helping clarify meaning. Sound signs were not limited to foreign names. This understanding opened a route into Egyptian texts beyond the Rosetta decree. The important change was not simply learning a list of symbols. It was recognizing how different kinds of signs worked together within one writing system.

Article B

Read this article about the surviving object and the people who studied it.

A Broken Stone Becomes Shared Evidence

1Today the Rosetta Stone is famous because it helped scholars read ancient Egyptian writing. Yet it was not created as a language lesson for future readers. Carved in 196 BCE, it recorded a decree honoring King Ptolemy V. The decree appeared in hieroglyphic, Demotic, and Greek scripts. Its makers were communicating with readers of their own time, not designing a puzzle for scholars who would live many centuries later.

2By the time the stone was found near Rosetta in 1799, its original setting had changed completely. Workers discovered it while repairing a fort. The surviving stone was only part of the original monument, with sections of its inscription missing. Its broken edges remind us that the evidence available to researchers was incomplete. An object made for one purpose had survived to become useful for a very different one.

3The discovery alone did not unlock the writing. Copies of the inscription allowed scholars in different places to examine the same marks. Researchers could compare readings without standing beside the original stone. Thomas Young identified sound values for some signs in the name Ptolemy, contributing to the investigation. Jean-François Champollion brought knowledge of Coptic and comparisons with other inscriptions. The work involved a network of evidence and researchers, even though individual breakthroughs received particular attention.

4Champollion announced his breakthrough in 1822, more than twenty years after the discovery. His explanation showed how hieroglyphic signs could serve different functions, including representing sounds. Understanding continued to develop after that announcement as scholars studied further texts. The stone's fame can make the achievement seem like one sudden moment. Following its history instead reveals an ancient message, an unexpected discovery, circulating copies, and years of study connecting people who never met the original writers.

Compare the Presentations

Choose one answer for each multiple-choice question. For evidence questions, use the articles rather than outside knowledge.

Which statement best describes the difference in the articles' main emphasis?

A. Article A emphasizes the decree's original audience; Article B emphasizes the rules of Egyptian spelling.
B. Article A emphasizes how the writing was decoded; Article B emphasizes the object's history and shared study.
C. Article A emphasizes how the fort was repaired; Article B emphasizes how the original monument was carved.
D. Article A emphasizes the king's achievements; Article B emphasizes differences between Egyptian and Greek rulers.

Which pair of details best supports the comparison in question 1?

A. Article A identifies Rosetta as the discovery location; Article B identifies 1799 as the discovery year.
B. Article A lists three scripts on the stone; Article B identifies the king honored by the decree.
C. Article A names Thomas Young as a scholar; Article B names Jean-François Champollion as a scholar.
D. Article A explains the different functions of signs; Article B describes copies circulating among researchers.

How do the authors organize their opening paragraphs differently?

A. Article A introduces a reading problem; Article B introduces the stone's original purpose.
B. Article A begins with the stone's carving; Article B begins with its discovery at a fort.
C. Article A compares two scholars' methods; Article B compares three ancient languages.
D. Article A explains the final breakthrough; Article B explains the spread of inscription copies.

Which pair of opening details best supports the answer to question 3?

A. Article A mentions ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs; Article B names hieroglyphic, Demotic, and Greek scripts.
B. Article A mentions scholars studying inscriptions; Article B mentions readers living many centuries later.
C. Article A asks readers to imagine an unreadable message; Article B explains that the decree honored a king.
D. Article A describes a familiar-looking bird; Article B describes the Rosetta Stone as famous today.

Both articles discuss the stone's discovery. What does Article A explain about the Greek section that Article B does not explain?

A. It recorded a decree that honored King Ptolemy V.
B. It offered a readable message for comparison with unfamiliar scripts.
C. It belonged to a monument that survived only in part.
D. It appeared beside hieroglyphic and Demotic writing.

Underline the sentence from Article A, paragraph 2, that most directly explains how the readable Greek section helped the investigation.

Its inscription presented the same decree in three scripts: hieroglyphic, Demotic, and Greek.Scholars could already read ancient Greek.The Greek section therefore gave them the message to which they could compare the unfamiliar writing.However, the stone was broken, and its hieroglyphic section was especially incomplete.

Both articles describe researchers studying the inscription. What additional perspective does Article B provide?

A. Knowledge of Coptic gave Champollion a useful language connection.
B. The name Ptolemy helped Young identify some sound values.
C. Other inscriptions supplied evidence beyond the Rosetta Stone.
D. Reproductions let people investigate the writing from different locations.

Underline the sentence from Article B, paragraph 3, that identifies what made study in different locations possible.

The discovery alone did not unlock the writing.Copies of the inscription allowed scholars in different places to examine the same marks.Researchers could compare readings without standing beside the original stone.Thomas Young identified sound values for some signs in the name Ptolemy, contributing to the investigation.

A reader says, “Both authors present the 1822 announcement as the moment when further research became unnecessary.” Which evaluation is most accurate?

A. The claim is supported because both articles name the scholar who made the announcement.
B. The claim is supported because both articles connect the announcement with understanding sounds.
C. The claim is unsupported because Article B explicitly describes research continuing afterward.
D. The claim is unsupported because Article A places the discovery after the announcement.

10.

Underline the sentence from Article B, paragraph 4, that most directly disproves the reader's claim in question 9.

Champollion announced his breakthrough in 1822, more than twenty years after the discovery.His explanation showed how hieroglyphic signs could serve different functions, including representing sounds.Understanding continued to develop after that announcement as scholars studied further texts.The stone's fame can make the achievement seem like one sudden moment.

11.

How do the authors use the fact that the stone is broken differently?

A. Article A stresses a challenge for comparing scripts; Article B connects the damage to the object's survival.
B. Article A explains how the damage happened; Article B explains how workers repaired the missing sections.
C. Article A questions whether the decree is authentic; Article B questions whether the writing is Egyptian.
D. Article A argues that the Greek section was lost; Article B argues that the complete monument survived.

12.

Which pair of details best supports the answer to question 11?

A. Article A says scholars understood Greek; Article B says the stone recorded a decree.
B. Article A says the comparison was not a ready-made answer; Article B describes an incomplete surviving monument.
C. Article A says names supplied useful clues; Article B says workers found the stone at a fort.
D. Article A says signs had different functions; Article B says copies reached researchers in different places.

13.

In 4–6 sentences, compare what the authors help readers understand about the same discovery and breakthrough. Explain one shared point and one important difference in emphasis. Use a specific detail from each article.