Description
Description: This two-page autograph letter signed from Thomas Young in response to archeologist Jean-Antoine Letronne’s March 25, 1827 letter is particularly significant as it mentions Young’s clue to deciphering hieroglyphics (the correspondence to the name of Ptolemy in the Greek inscription). It also is demonstrative of the conciliatory efforts between Thomas Young and Jean-François Champollion, thus offering a glimpse into the world of archaeological studies in the early 19th century. In England, Young deciphered the Rosetta Stone (1814) using the Egyptian demotic alphabet and, much later, Champollion published his breakthrough work in France(1822) showing the writing on the Stone to be a combination of phonetic and ideographic signs. The rivalry between the two men was personal and exacerbated institutionally, until they made several gestures to accommodate and help each other’s research. The letter is in French (we include a translation by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor Sidney Ross). A transcript and translation of the March 25, 1827 letter from Letronne to Young is also included (the original letter is not included).
Young thanks Letronne for procuring “des manuscrits enchoriques ou démotiques” (mentioned in Letronne’s letter), conveys his “remercimens tres vifs de sa bonté” (thanks for his kindness), and asks if Champollion would allow him to copy the lithographic publication of the demotic manuscripts of the Dravelti and Salt’s collections, stating that he would hire an artist of Champillion’s choice. In another friendly overture, Young mentions verifying the orientalists’ “douter de l’authenticité du vase” of Mr. Champollion and Mr. Martin’s (Caylus) vase. Champollion claimed that the phonetic system as well as hieroglyphics existed as far back as 460 BC. Young finds that the vase existed in the King’s Cabinet during the time of Caylus; he suggests that the inversion of the writing on Mr. Champollion’s plate–upon which the criticism seems to have been based–was perhaps an accident.
Responding to Letronne’s query regarding the “papyrus de manumission,” Young admits he hasn’t done much since he sent Letronne a copy of “Le cahier des ‘Hieroglyphics’ sans titre,” which he thinks his messenger deposited at the King’s Bibliotheque. He suggests that the astrological manuscripts are likely copies of the papyrus from the Salt collection in Paris and that The Brande Journal in which Young has published is available at the L’Academie des Sciences. He is sorry that a writer of [Frederich] de Humboldt’s caliber has had to fight the system such as the Egyptologist Mr. [Gustavus] Seyffarth’s. He mentions sending Humboldt information where he, Young, questions the absurdity attributed to Egyptian norms and asks Letronne to tell Humboldt to call on him when he visits London.
Interestingly in the postscript, he elaborates that he is prepared for a new book on Hieroglyphics, suggesting that several of the enchoric inscriptions come from the grottos of Sachara, and that the hieratic name is found in them: “il est parle [d’. . .] et de Ptolomée surnommé Ceasar: ce n’est pas ici Neocesar. . . Il y en a trois dans lesquelle le nombre d’etoiles sure le bord du cercle ailé coréspond à celui des années dans la date du règne; 6 ou 3; 19; et je crois 28.”
Written on a 9” x 7” sheet of ivory paper dated “14 April 1827”. The letter is in French. Includes a translation and transcript. Item #A01826
Thomas Young (1773-1829) was a polymath and has been described as “The last man who knew everything” (Andrew Robinson). He made notable contributions to the fields of vision, physiology, language, musical harmony, and Egyptology. He was the first to describe astigmatism and rework the wave theory of light. He compared the grammar and vocabulary of 400 different languages, later introducing the term Indo-European languages. Young’s modulus is the numerical constant describing elasticity. He deciphered the Rosetta Stone in 1814. Several scientists, including his contemporary William Herschel and, later, Albert Einstein and egyptologists were influenced by his findings.
Jean-Antoine Letronne (1787-1848) was a French scholar and archeologist. He was the director of the École Nationale des Chartres (1817) and the Chair of Archeology at the College de France (1837-48). He became the keeper of the National Archives in 1840.
Jean-Françios Champollion (1790-1832) was a French philologist and a founding figure in the field of Egyptology. His career was cemented after he published the Precis du système hiéroglyphique des anciens Égyptiens (1824) which comprised over 450 ancient Egyptian words and hieroglyphics groupings. After much deliberations, he was appointed the curator of the Egyptian collections at the Musee du Louvre in 1826.
Condition: Remnants of prior mounting at left edge which does not touch text. Generally in very good condition.
