Rosetta stone

American  

noun

1. a stone slab, found in 1799 near Rosetta, bearing parallel inscriptions in Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphic, and demotic characters, making possible the decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

2. a clue, breakthrough, or discovery that provides crucial knowledge for the solving of a puzzle or problem.

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Rosetta stone British  

noun

1. a basalt slab discovered in 1799 at Rosetta, dating to the reign of Ptolemy V (196 _bc ) and carved with parallel inscriptions in Egyptian hieroglyphics, demotic characters, and Greek, which provided the key to the decipherment of ancient Egyptian texts

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Rosetta stone Cultural  

1. A stone discovered in Egypt (see also Egypt) in the late eighteenth century, inscribed with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and a translation of them in Greek. The stone proved to be the key to understanding Egyptian writing.

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A “Rosetta stone” is the key to understanding a complex problem.

Example Sentences

These include the Rosetta Stone, the key to deciphering hieroglyphics, which is on display at the British Museum in London.

From BBC

Prominent Egyptologists argue that its establishment strengthens their demand for key Egyptian antiquities held in other countries to be returned – including the famed Rosetta Stone displayed at the British Museum.

From BBC

"Now I want two things: number one, museums to stop buying stolen artefacts and number two, I need three objects to come back: the Rosetta Stone from the British Museum, the Zodiac from the Louvre and the Bust of Nefertiti from Berlin," says Dr Hawass.

From BBC

The Rosetta Stone, found in 1799, provided the key to deciphering hieroglyphics; it was discovered by the French army and was seized by the British as war booty.

From BBC

The British Museum told the BBC that it had received: "No formal requests for either the return or the loan of the Rosetta Stone from the Egyptian Government."

From BBC