For over 3,000 years, hieroglyphs were the written language of Egyptian temples, tombs, and sacred texts. But then, mysteriously, the knowledge of how to read them vanished. When did this happen — and why? In this episode, we trace the decline of hieroglyphic literacy, from the rise of foreign rule and changing religions to the closing of ancient temples. Discover how one of the world’s most iconic writing systems was forgotten for centuries — and how it was finally cracked wide open by the Rosetta Stone.