Unlocking the Past: The Story of the Rosetta Stone

to succeed in understanding, interpreting, or identifying something obscure

decifrare

"This allowed him to finally decipher the text completely."

marked or written on a surface, often as a lasting record

inciso, iscritto

"The decree was inscribed in three different scripts: Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic script, and Ancient Greek."

an official order issued by a legal authority

decreto, ordinanza

"The stone, now known as the Rosetta Stone, dates back to 196 BC and contains an official decree issued by King Ptolemy V."

relating to the ability to think and understand ideas at a high level

intellettuale

"A fierce intellectual race began between scholars to be the first to crack the code."

to discover how to read or understand something secret or hidden

decifrare il codice

"A fierce intellectual race began between scholars to be the first to crack the code."

a large, thick, flat piece of stone or other hard material

lastra, blocco

"While digging to strengthen their defenses, they came across a large, dark slab of stone covered in mysterious writing."

a sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development

scoperta epocale, svolta

"While Young made early progress, it was Champollion who achieved the ultimate breakthrough in 1822."

showing strong feelings or energetic activity

feroce, accanito

"A fierce intellectual race began between scholars to be the first to crack the code."

the state of having, owning, or controlling something

possesso, proprietà

"Following the defeat of Napoleon's army, the British took possession of the stone under the Treaty of Alexandria and moved it to the British Museum in London."

to make something stronger or more effective

rafforzare

"While digging to strengthen their defenses, they came across a large, dark slab of stone covered in mysterious writing."