ROSETTA STONE Meaning and
Definition
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The Rosetta Stone refers to a significant artifact of ancient Egypt, dating back to 196 BC. It is a fragmentary slab of black basalt stone bearing inscriptions in three scripts: Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic (the everyday script used for administrative purposes), and Ancient Greek. The stone was discovered by a French soldier during Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian campaign in 1799, near the town of Rosetta (modern-day Rashid) in the Nile Delta.
The Rosetta Stone holds immense importance as it proved instrumental in deciphering the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script. In the early 19th century, scholars used the stone's bilingual inscriptions as a key to unravel the hieroglyphs, which had been a mystery for over a millennium. By comparing the Greek text, a known language, alongside the Egyptian scripts, researchers developed and refined the field of Egyptology.
Beyond its linguistic significance, the Rosetta Stone serves as a symbol of the ability to translate and bridge understanding between different languages and cultures. It represents the gateway to unlocking a rich ancient civilization's secrets and history. Today, the original Rosetta Stone is housed in the British Museum in London, where it continues to attract millions of visitors annually.
In a broader context, the term "Rosetta Stone" has come to represent any crucial key or discovery that unlocks difficult or complex understanding or unveils a pathway to solving a problem. It symbolizes the vital clue or piece of information that facilitates the comprehension of something previously unknown or incomprehensible.
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A stone discovered at Rosetta, in Egypt, bearing inscriptions, by the aid of which a key was obtained to the hieroglyphics of anc. Egypt.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
Common Misspellings for ROSETTA STONE
- eosetta stone
- dosetta stone
- fosetta stone
- tosetta stone
- 5osetta stone
- 4osetta stone
- risetta stone
- rksetta stone
- rlsetta stone
- rpsetta stone
- r0setta stone
- r9setta stone
- roaetta stone
- rozetta stone
- roxetta stone
- rodetta stone
- roeetta stone
- rowetta stone
Etymology of ROSETTA STONE
The term "Rosetta Stone" has its origins in the discovery of an ancient Egyptian artifact known as the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone was found in 1799 in the Nile Delta town of Rosetta (now known as Rashid) during Napoleon Bonaparte's military campaign in Egypt.
The stone itself is a stele, a slab of black basalt inscribed with a decree issued in 196 BCE by King Ptolemy V in three scripts—hieroglyphic, demotic, and ancient Greek. The inscriptions on the stone became the key to deciphering and understanding ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs—a writing system that had been unintelligible for over a millennium.
Because of its significance in unlocking the ancient Egyptian language, the stone became widely known as the "Rosetta Stone".
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