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"It's like a Kudurru," Daniel murmured. He sat on the heels of his feet. He tipped his hat back as he gazed at the stone slab with open-mouth amazement. "It's…it's like Assyrian. Both sides inscribed. A royal edict. Look at it. It's incredible." His voice cracked, and Daniel immediately snapped his mouth shut.
"That doesn't look Assyrian, though. I don't recognize it," Sam admitted. A frown creased her forehead at the possibility of not knowing. She leaned forward onto the balls of her feet, squinting, trying to get a better look at the artifact.
"It is not Go'auld. I do not recognize it as well, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c determined. He scowled, taking it as a personal affront.
"It's a hybrid form of an alien language and Sanskrit." Daniel squashed the vibrating sensation trying to bubble up his throat. The last thing he should do was delve into how incredible it was, the cultural implications of two unconnected languages, and the probability that the monument was an alien equivalent to a Rosetta Stone—
Stop it, Daniel chided himself. He can't be here just to 'babble.' Other SG teams grumbled among themselves about him not taking the missions seriously, always yapping away like it was "some fucking school trip." Whether Daniel was within earshot didn't temper their grievances.
"Sanskrit?" Teal'c canted his head. "I am unfamiliar with the term."
"Old text." Daniel's fingers skimmed the ancient writings. Deeply carved, a moss-like greenery had taken root within the strokes. "Very old, probably within the origins of Hinduism."
"I dunno," Jack quipped, "Looks all Greek to me." Jack grinned at Daniel's sigh and Sam's side-eye.
"What? Aw, come on, admit it. You kids thought that just now, right?"
"I was not, O'Neill," Teal'c informed him with an arched eyebrow.
"It's a joke." Jack crouched down by Daniel to study the stone tablet himself. "Can't be serious all the time. Sometimes you gotta enjoy the moment." His shoulder gently knocked into Daniel's. "Am I right, Doctor Jackson?"
Daniel blinked. His eyes flickered over to Jack.
Jack gestured at the tablet with his cap. "Wanna tell me about this rock that's not Greek?"
Another shoulder bump. This time from Sam on the other side. She gestured towards the artifact with a nod, her face a picture of hopeful anticipation. Teal'c's shadow fell over them and the stone as he approached cautiously. His stance remained rigid, ready for anything but clearly intrigued as well.
Tension flowed out of Daniel's shoulders. Daniel cleared his throat. He smiled hesitantly.
"For one, it's not a rock; it's a stele…"