The Life and Times of Jean-François Champollion

Category: French History

This episode features our frequent and very popular guest Elyse Rivin. If you enjoy her episodes, please consider supporting her on Patreon.

Today Annie Sargent brings you a conversation with Elyse Rivin about Jean-François Champollion the man who deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphics. We talked about the places he lived, the positions he held, and how he became obsessed with languages. The period of the late 1700s early 1800s was a fascinating time in French history and this episode will help you see why.

We talk about the places you can visit if you want to learn about Champollion and his work, we talk about the circumstances of his upbringing just as the French Revolution was brewing. His older brother was also very interested in languages and young Champollion followed in his footsteps and showed great interest in exotic writing systems.