CAIRO, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian archaeological mission discovered a stone tablet that contains a complete new version of the Canopus Decree from 283 B.C. in the Sharqiya Governorate, northeast of Cairo, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Tuesday.

Measuring 127.5 cm in length, 83 cm in width, and about 48 cm in thickness, the sandstone tablet features a curved top with a winged sun disk, from which two cobras wearing the white and red crowns dangle. The middle section contains 30 lines of hieroglyphic text of medium carving quality, said the ministry in a statement.

The decree was originally proclaimed in the city of Canopus when a council of high priests met to honor and sanctify King Ptolemy III, his wife Berenice, and their daughter, it said, adding that the text of the decree was then distributed to major Egyptian temples.

Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said this find will contribute to a deeper understanding of royal and religious texts from the Ptolemaic era and enrich knowledge of ancient Egyptian history and language, according to the statement.

Unlike six previously known versions, which were inscribed in hieroglyphic, demotic, and Greek, the find is inscribed entirely in hieroglyphic.

This distinction offers new insights into ancient Egyptian language and provides additional information on Ptolemaic decrees and royal and religious ceremonies, the statement added. ■