History Challenge & Journal

[pharvey]

The Rosetta Stone has been identified exactly. What was it used for......... perhaps no good or was it for this language).

[pharvey]

Picture 3 is the world famous Rosetta Stone, kept in the British Museum

The picture of the book looks like a medieval book of flora or possibly a Herbal (a book of plants in a monks medicinal garden). I know they (the British Museum) have two of these that are famous - St Francis of Assissi s Herbal and a book of flora by Giovanni Machion. The one in the picture looks more like something St Francis would produce.

Not kept in the British Museum (although the clue/RS is). Yes, the book/manuscript certainly covers flora SM, many other subjects including astronomy are also there.....

[Jimbob]

The Rosetta Stone has writing on it in two languages (Egyptian and Greek), using three scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek).
Three scripts when it was written, there were three scripts being used in Egypt.
The first was hieroglyphic which was the script used for important or religious documents.
The second was demotic which was the common script of Egypt.
The third was Greek which was the language of the rulers of Egypt at that time.
The Rosetta Stone was written in all three scripts so that the priests, government officials and rulers of Egypt could read what it said.
Thus the priests were not allowed then to say:
Its all Greek to me.

So are we looking at 'tools' for transcribing between languages?

[dtaai-maai]

Well, it struck me as rather Buddhist-like, but I'm getting nowhere there - Mrs D-M has just stumbled from our virtuous couch and suggested it's something to do with astrology.

Or of course it's the pictorial record of the starting line-up for the inaugural Barnstaple Ladies Naked Tub Roll in 1142...


I wish I could work out the alphabet? I'll repeat my earlier (unanswered!) question - is this anything to do with the 'key' to a previously unknown language?

[dtaai-maai]

libra-small.jpg (62.47 KiB) Viewed 360 times

And I do declare that my wife never ceases to amaze me...


We're getting there!

[dtaai-maai]

The Voynich manuscript!


(And now I know why I couldn't work out the script... )


Edit: and to complete the answer - it's at Yale University.

Very interesting question, pharvey, thank you muchly.

[Jimbob]

DM says The Voynich manuscript!

A forerunner to Tolkein invented languages

Now Pharvey can wake up with his puzzle solved

[dtaai-maai]

They called me 'cow-head', I know not why,
Fleet of foot and blue of eye.
I helped my King from west to east
And yet to some I was a beast;
A city was named after me,
Near झेलम in Punjabi.


Who was I?

Near Jhelum, says SM correctly.

[Jimbob]

Just a Jimbob Quickie

Britian’s first real Orientalist
At twelve years of age had a pivotal role in a British Trade mission in Asia
Eventually knighted and succeeded to a Baronet title

Who was he and what was his role?

[dtaai-maai]

Thomas Babington Macaulay?

[Jimbob]

Macaulay?
Noooooooooooo.
He was also higher up the tree: being a Baron not a Baronet.

[migrant]

Stamford Raffles?

[sandman67]

DM

would the answer to your riddle be Bucephalus, Alexander the Greats famous and beloved steed.....and the city Bucephala in the Punjab?

Its as far as Alexander went in search of the Outer Ocean.

Bucephalus is also what T E Lawrence called each of his seven Vincent motorbikes, including the one he died on.

[Jimbob]

TE Lawrence ?
Ten years ago I was roped into attending an Antique Motorbike club booze up in Berkshire where one rider held forth about Broughs and Lawrence: so your comment on Lawrence intrigued me.
He must have had a lot of bikes, Vincents and Broughs.
Wiki lists as follows
Lawrence of Arabia had a Brough Superior he called George V. Lawrence owned eight Broughs in all, listed below, with notes in brackets:
* 1922: Boa (the name was short for Boanerges)
* 1923: George I (the cost of £150 was more than the price of a house at the time) * 1924: George II * 1925: George III
* 1926: George IV
* 1927: George V (RK 4907; see photo)
* 1929: George VI (UL 656) * 1932: George VII (GW 2275) (the bike which he died and a riding crash) *

[pharvey]

The Voynich manuscript!


(And now I know why I couldn't work out the script... )


Edit: and to complete the answer - it's at Yale University.

Very interesting question, pharvey, thank you muchly.

Spot on DM - Full marks!!

The Rosetta Stone has writing on it in two languages (Egyptian and Greek), using three scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek).
Three scripts when it was written, there were three scripts being used in Egypt.
The first was hieroglyphic which was the script used for important or religious documents.
The second was demotic which was the common script of Egypt.
The third was Greek which was the language of the rulers of Egypt at that time.
The Rosetta Stone was written in all three scripts so that the priests, government officials and rulers of Egypt could read what it said.
Thus the priests were not allowed then to say:
Its all Greek to me.

So are we looking at 'tools' for transcribing between languages?

You were getting close JB!!