The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian artifact that provided the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. It is a granodiorite stele inscribed with three versions of a decree issued in Memphis, Egypt in 196 BCE. The decree honors the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanes and was written in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic script, and Ancient Greek. The Greek text was deciphered first, and using it as a key, the hieroglyphic and demotic texts were interpreted. This breakthrough provided a means of translating other Egyptian hieroglyphic inscriptions and brought a greater understanding of ancient Egyptian history and culture.