The correct option is (c).
Explanation
The decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs was a significant milestone in Egyptology, primarily made possible by the discovery of a stele containing a decree issued at Memphis in 196 BC. This discovery allowed scholars to understand a script that had been unintelligible for centuries.
Statement-wise Analysis:
- Statement 1 is Correct: The decipherment was facilitated by the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799. This stone contained the same decree inscribed in three different scripts, serving as the key to understanding the hieroglyphic system.
- Statement 2 is Incorrect: Scholars did not use Latin scripts. The Rosetta Stone featured the text in Hieroglyphic (sacred script), Demotic (common script), and Ancient Greek. Scholars, most notably Jean-François Champollion, used their knowledge of Ancient Greek to decipher the Egyptian signs.
- Statement 3 is Correct: The Egyptian hieroglyphic script is not purely pictographic. It is a complex system that combines logographic (symbols representing words or concepts) and phonetic (symbols representing sounds) elements. Champollion’s breakthrough involved realizing that the signs could represent sounds as well as objects.
Key Takeaway:
The Rosetta Stone was the critical key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs because it provided a parallel translation in Ancient Greek, revealing that the script possessed both phonetic and ideographic characteristics.