Stele · decree of 196 BCE; found July 1799
A granodiorite stela fragment bearing a priestly decree of 196 BCE in three scripts — hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek. Soldiers of Napoleon's expedition uncovered it near Rashid (Rosetta) in July 1799; its Greek text gave scholars the key that, combined with Coptic, finally unlocked hieroglyphs. The stone measures 1123 × 757 × 284 mm.
