The French Army, under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte, invaded Egypt in 1798 with the goal of protecting France's trade routes. The French Army was the first army ever to have educational purposes in mind while marching into battle. When they went to Egypt, they brought many scholars to investigate the ruins. When they found the Rosetta Stone, many scholars went to work to decipher it, but they only managed to read the Greek inscription. Before they lost the battle and had to hand the Rosetta Stone over to Britain because of the Treaty of Alexandria, they made a copy of it. This is how the French managed to have copies of the Rosetta Stone to give to their scholars as well.