Severn resident selling replicas of historic Rosetta Stone

Full-scale replicas of the Rosetta Stone are now available thanks to a Severn resident. Although they cost about $2,000 to $30,000, he insists his intention is not commercial gain.

"I wanted to popularize the whole idea of the Rosetta Stone and bring it to the masses," said Joel Freeman, who spoke earlier this month about the Rosetta Stone at the Library of Congress. "I see it as a gateway to greater curiosity and greater understanding."

The Rosetta Stone, discovered in Egypt by the French in 1799, was the key to decoding Egyptian hieroglyphics. The ancient Egyptian written language was lost by the time the stone, which was created in 196 BC, was discovered.

"It enabled people who knew Greek to decipher the hieroglyphics," said Mary-Jane Deeb, chief of the African and Middle Eastern Division at the Library of Congress. "Since then, archaeologists have been able to read hieroglyphics on all ancient Egyptian artifacts."

Freeman, an author, filmmaker and speaker, served as chaplain to the Washington Bullets, later Wizards, from 1979 until 1998. It is here where his interest in African and Egyptian history really blossomed from talking to players.

About four years ago, Freeman bought a replica of the face of the Rosetta Stone from an acquaintance who got it from the British Museum. Later, he was able to get a digital image of the stone, which he said crashed a few computers because of the size. A sculptor created the sides and rear of the stone based on this image.

"People who have seen the real thing are astonished," Freeman said. "My goal is for millions of people to come touch this and be engaged."

He has sold three of the "classic" replicas, which has an introductory price of about $14,500. They are scale replicas which weigh about 100 pounds and come with a base. One replica will be a traveling exhibit in Australia and one will go to a mold-maker in California. The third was delivered to the National Cryptologic Museum at Fort George G. Meade earlier his month on a long-term loan and will be displayed in the near future.

He offers several other models, including a hybrid that can be used as a coffee table or wall ornament. The hybrid starts at $4,550. The most expensive replica, a "lost wax" bronze replica, starts at $29,500. All of the models are manufactured on demand in Michigan by Mannetron.

The original Rosetta Stone, a 1,700 pound, 45 inches tall, 30 inches wide and 11 inches thick slab of granodiorite rock, contained 14 lines of hieroglyphics, 32 lines of Demotic, another ancient Egyptian script, and 54 lines of ancient Greek when it was found. The original stone is on display at the British Museum in London.

The stone spells out decrees of Ptolemy V, the fifth ruler of Egypt under the Ptolemaic dynasty.

"The text on the Rosetta Stone gives us a glimpse into Egyptian life," Freeman said. "This was a gift…to the world."