Once they had mastered the three kinds of Egyptian writing, nineteenth-century scholars had the key to more than three thousand years of Egyptian history. Within a few decades, they compiled an accurate list of all the pharaohs who had ruled Egypt, from Narmer in 3000 B.C. to Cleopatra VII in 30 B.C. They discovered long-lost masterpieces of ancient Egyptian literature. And, by reading bills of sale, shop inventories, and personal letters, they reconstructed what daily life in ancient Egypt was like for everyone from a slave to a king.

Which best represents a cause-and-effect relationship from the excerpt?