Jean-François Champollion

Born in Figeac, France, on December 23, 1790, he showed an extraordinary gift for languages from a young age. Encouraged by his older brother Jacques-Joseph, he studied ancient languages intensely and quickly built a reputation as a gifted philologist.

He is remembered above all for his breakthrough in deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. Drawing on the Rosetta Stone and his knowledge of Coptic, he announced key results in 1822 and then developed them further in works that helped establish the study of ancient Egypt on a scientific footing.

His career also included work as a historian, linguist, and curator, and he later traveled in Egypt to study monuments firsthand. Although he died in Paris on March 4, 1832, at just 41, his achievements permanently changed how the ancient Egyptian world could be read and understood.