Jean-François Champollion

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/jean-franois-champollion

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Jean-François Champollion born?December 23, 1790
2. Where was Jean-François Champollion born?Figeac, Lot, France
3. What is Jean-François Champollion known for?Deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs, establishing the field of Egyptology
4. What is the key publication?Lettre à M. Dacier (1822), announcing his decipherment
5. What is the career?Philologist, Orientalist, Professor of Egyptology
6. Who was Jean-François Champollion?Champollion was a French scholar born in 1790 who could speak many languages and later solved the mystery of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Philology: The study of language in oral and written historical sources, including their literature and history.
Egyptomania: A widespread fascination with ancient Egyptian culture that swept through Europe, particularly after Napoleon's campaigns.
Cartouche: An oval frame enclosing the hieroglyphs of a royal name, found in ancient Egyptian inscriptions.
Ideographic Sign: A written symbol that represents a concept or idea, rather than a sound.