But, as so often in the British Museum, appearances are deceiving, because this dreary bit of broken granite has played a starring role in three fascinating and different stories: the story of the Greek kings who ruled in Alexandria after Alexander the Great conquered Egypt; the story of the French and British imperial competition across the Middle East after Napoleon invaded Egypt; and the extraordinary but peaceful scholarly contest that led to the most famous decipher in history - the cracking of hieroglyphics. ... Instead, Monge became fascinated with the physics of mirages. ... However, J...

• Word Count: 1423
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate