eli5: How did philologists (people who study ancient languages) learn to decipher ancient texts, if there was no understandable translation available upon discovery?

Question

To me it seems like this would be similar to trying to learn to read Chinese with absolutely no access to any educational materials/teachers.

In: 5

Answer 1

I just read “The Writing of the Gods: The Race to Decode the Rosetta Stone” by Edward Dolnick. It was such a good book! I highly recommend it. Very easy to read and very entertaining.

It’s perfect for addressing your question.