14 September 1822
While excavating at Abu Simbel, I came across very ancient cartouches cut deep in the rock. They may be of some special interest to you. I have read of your great accomplishments in deciphering the hieroglyphs, but I am not quite certain how valid your conclusions may be for the writing of very early times. So far, for instance, you have deciphered only Greek and Roman names from a very late period in Egyptian history. Has it occurred to you that the hieroglyphic sound-signs that you have deciphered may only have been invented in the time of the Greeks and the Romans in order to write foreign names? Perhaps Horappolo was right; that in the time of the ancient Egyptians kings the hieroglyphs were not used as sound-signs at all but as mystical symbols that concealed the secrets of learned priests. If you can show that the following two
names can also be deciphered along the lines you have already laid out,
you will have proved your case and you will truly have deciphered the ancient
writings. The two names are as follows:
Yours sincerely,
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