Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered a rare sandstone stela in El Husseiniya, marking a new version of the famed Decree of Canopus. First issued in 238 BCE under Ptolemy III, the decree—like the Rosetta Stone—was key to deciphering hieroglyphics. Unlike earlier copies that used multiple languages, this four-foot slab is inscribed solely in hieroglyphics, topped by a winged sun disk and royal cobras. Scholars say its blank spaces suggest it may be incomplete, but its preservation is remarkable. The decree records everything from military campaigns to famine relief, the deification of Princess Berenike, and even the creation of the solar leap-year calendar, offering new insight into Ptolemaic rule. This incredible find promises to deepen our understanding of pharaonic decrees and the sophisticated society that produced them.
artnet
