A message etched into an ancient sphinx has proven to be, well, sphinx-like. The “mysterious” inscription has long been an enigma, puzzling scholars for over a century.

But now, it’s finally been deciphered, revealing a brief, but “unusual” poem, according to a study published Dec. 30 in the journal Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry.

Dating to the third century, the bronze sphinx statue originated from Dacia, a Roman province that largely corresponds to modern-day Romania.

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Taking the form of a winged lion, “the sphinx was perceived by the original creators and users of the artifact as a representation of a mythical deity that they honored and worshiped,” Peter Revesz, the study author and professor at the University of Nebraska, told McClatchy News.

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