The ancient artifact that helped scholars understand Egyptian hieroglyphs is the Rosetta Stone. Discovered in 1799 during Napoleon's expedition in Egypt, the Rosetta Stone features the same text inscribed in three scripts: Greek, Demotic, and hieroglyphs. The presence of the known Greek text allowed linguists, notably Jean-François Champollion, to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics for the first time in the early 19th century. This breakthrough opened a new chapter in the study of ancient Egyptian civilization, unlocking a wealth of knowledge about its history, culture, religion, and government, significantly advancing the field of Egyptology.