Uncovering the Past
EL-HUSSEINIYA, Egypt – The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Egypt has announced a breakthrough find: a complete and previously unknown copy of the Canopus Decree, one of the most important inscriptions of the Ptolemaic era by the Supreme Council of Antiquities. The sandstone stela was unearthed by an Egyptian archaeological team at Tell El-Fara’in, known as “Hill of the Pharaohs,” in the Sharqia Governorate of the eastern Nile Delta. Measuring approximately four feet in height, the slab is the first complete version of the decree discovered in more than 150 years.
The Canopus Decree was originally issued in 238 BCE during the reign of Pharaoh Ptolemy III Euergetes (246–221 BCE). It was proclaimed at a great assembly of high priests in the city of Canopus, near modern-day Alexandria, and ordered to be displayed in temples across Egypt. The decree honored the king, his queen Berenice II, and their daughter Berenike.
The decree touches on subjects such as Ptolemy III’s military campaigns, his suppression of revolts, his benevolence in importing grain during famine, and aspects of Egyptian religious practice. It also decrees that the then recently deceased Princess Berenike should be deified, with cultic rites established in her honor.
Among the decree’s most striking elements is its reform of the Egyptian calendar, adding one day every four years. This adjustment created the most accurate solar calendar of the ancient world. The inscription proclaims:
“May it be known to all men that the arrangement of the seasons of the year was somewhat defective. The rules which exist as the laws of science and the ways of heaven have now been set right.”
The Canopus Decree records event from 238 B.C.E. Photo Credit: Courtesy – the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Prior to this discovery, archaeologists had located only six versions of the Canopus Decree, found at sites such as Kom El-Hisn, San El-Hagar (ancient Tanis), and Tell Basta. These earlier examples were trilingual, inscribed in hieroglyphs, Demotic script, and Greek. The new stela, however, is exceptional because it is written entirely in hieroglyphs, offering scholars a purely Egyptian perspective on royal ideology and administration during the Ptolemaic period.
The stela is carved from sandstone and crowned with powerful imagery: a winged solar disk flanked by two uraei—royal cobras—wearing the White and Red Crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. Between them is inscribed Di Ankh, or “He who gives life.” Beneath this emblem, 30 lines of hieroglyphic text lay out the royal edict. Though the craftsmanship is of moderate quality, the inscriptions are legible and provide invaluable material for historians and linguists.
Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities uncovered a new stone stela of the Canopus Decree at Tell El-Pharaeen, Sharqiya. Unlike the 6 known trilingual copies, this one is inscribed only in hieroglyphs, a completely new version of the decree issued by Ptolemy III in 283 BC.#MOTA pic.twitter.com/RTGFZlELMl
— Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (@TourismandAntiq) September 11, 2025
Scholars have already noted features that distinguish this copy from earlier finds. Egyptologist Stefan Pfeiffer observed blank spaces on the stela and suggested the work may not have been completed. “Different stela had depictions that were adapted to local religious backgrounds,” Pfeiffer explained. “We can’t be sure what it would have looked like,” he added, noting that the space might even have been reserved for additional scripts such as Demotic.
The Canopus Decree, though less well-known than the Rosetta Stone, played a crucial role in the 19th-century decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs. When the first copy was discovered at Tanis in 1866, its larger set of hieroglyphs provided essential comparisons for scholars attempting to unlock the language. Today, the original Tanis stele stands as a centerpiece of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The new discovery adds fresh depth to this legacy, expanding the corpus available to researchers.
Beyond its linguistic significance, the decree sheds light on the dynamics of religion, politics, and identity under the Ptolemies, a dynasty of Greek origin ruling in Egypt. By blending Greek and Egyptian traditions, the Ptolemies crafted a complex ideology to legitimize their authority. The deification of the royal daughter is one such example.
Canopus Decree [Photo Credit: 𐰇𐱅𐰚𐰤 CC BY-SA 4.0]
Tell El-Fara’in itself has long been a site of great importance. Known in antiquity as Imet, it flourished during the Middle Kingdom and remained vital through the Ptolemaic period. Excavations have revealed monumental temples and elite residences, including a temple dedicated to the goddess Wadjet, protector of Lower Egypt. Archaeologists stress that the discovery of the Canopus Decree here highlights the enduring prominence of the city and the Nile Delta’s central role in Egypt’s political and religious life.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities underscored the importance of the find in a statement, noting that the new hieroglyphic inscription “allows for a deeper understanding of how royal ideology, religious policy, and linguistic expression evolved during one of Egypt’s most complex historical periods.”
The unearthing of this complete stela provides both a tangible connection to the ancient world and an invaluable resource for the study of Ptolemaic Egypt. It is certainly of interest to scholars, and Kemetic practitioners may find the new translation fascinating. It is a rare reminder that even well-documented eras of history still have secrets waiting to be revealed in the sands of the Nile Delta.
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