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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Rob.

And I'm Sam.

In this program, we'll be unlocking the secrets of the ancient Egyptians,

pyramid builders and the inventors of hieroglyphs.

A writing system which uses pictures and symbols to represent words.

The meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs remained a mystery until 1799,

when Napoleon soldiers unearthed a dark, damaged rock in the Egyptian coastal town of Rosetta.

On the broken granite stone, three scripts were faintly carved,

Greek at the bottom, Demotic in the middle, and hieroglyphs at the top.

Today, the Rosetta Stone is perhaps the most famous museum object in the world.

But what's actually written on it is quite dull.

In fact, the Rosetta Stone contains a tax break.

It describes an agreement exempting priests from paying taxes to the king.

Ah, the famous Egyptian pharaohs.

Exactly, but which one, Sam, let's test your ancient Egyptian knowledge with this quiz question.

The writing on the Rosetta Stone is a tax agreement between the priests

and which Egyptian pharaoh.

Is it A. Cleopatra, B. Ptolemy, or C. Ramases?

I guess A. Cleopatra.

Okay, Sam, I'll reveal the answer to that mystery later on.

...