Silvestre de Sacy was the first Frenchman to attempt to read the
Rosetta Stone. He made some progress in identifying
proper names in the
demotic inscription. From 1807 to 1809, Sacy was also a teacher of
Jean-François Champollion, whom he encouraged in his research. But later on, the relationship between the master and student became chilly. In no small measure, Champollion's
Napoleonic sympathies were problematic for Sacy, who was decidedly Royalist in his political sympathies. In 1811,
Étienne Marc Quatremère, also a student of Sacy, published his ''Mémoires géographiques et historiques sur l'Égypte… sur quelques contrées voisines''. There was some rivalry between Champollion and Quatremère. Champollion published a paper in 1814 that covered some of the same territory. The allegations then arose that Champollion had plagiarized the work of Quatremère. Silvestre de Sacy seemed to take the side of Quatremère, according to Champollion. There was also considerable rivalry between Champollion and
Thomas Young, an English Egyptology researcher active in hieroglyphic decipherment. At first they cooperated in their work, but later, from around 1815, a chill arose between them. Again, Sacy took the side of Young. Young started to correspond with Sacy, who advised Young not to share his work with Champollion and described Champollion as a charlatan. Consequently, Young avoided all direct contact with Champollion. When Champollion submitted his Coptic grammar and dictionary for publication in 1815, de Sacy also opposed this. Another student of Sacy was
Johan David Åkerblad. He was a Swedish scholar who also contributed significantly to the investigation of the Rosetta Stone. Early on, in 1802, Åkerblad published his version of the
Demotic alphabet; sixteen of these letters later proved to be correct and were used by Champollion, as well as by Young. Sacy felt that Akerblad was not getting enough credit for the good work that he was doing. Thus, the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphics was being hampered by political and personal considerations. There were also big political rivalries between England and France at that time that also stood in the way of co-operation. Nevertheless, when, in spite of all adversity, Champollion had made big progress in decipherment by 1822resulting in his
Lettre à M. DacierSacy cast all politics aside and warmly welcomed the good work of his student. ==Other scholarly works==