Publication to accompany a major 1999 exhibition at the British Museum celebrating the bicentenary of the Stone's discovery, and including a selective catalogue of the exhibits. It also examines the wider issues of script and writing in ancient Egypt and beyond, for example, the relationship between hieroglyphs and art, the social prestige of literacy, and the practical aspects of writing (scibal exquipment and training). Other issues in decipherment are also discussed, such as Linear B and Meroitic, a language which still remains to be read.