It was claimed to have been discovered by a student of law, Robert Milliat, next to a spring at the foot of a cliff at Arguel in the French Doubs department, just south of Besançon.
The stone is a piece of chalk, measuring 6 cm in length, weighing 75 grams, bearing an inscription in four lines on one side, plus a single line on the reverse side, reading ᚨᚱᛒᛁᛏᚨ?arbita?//ᚹᛟᛞᚨᚾwodan//ᛚ???ᛟ?ᚺᚨᛜl???o?haŋ//?ᛖ??e?///ᚲᛁᛗkimᚨᚱᛒᛁᛏᚨ?
// kimin Michel's 1921 drawing and transcription rendered as: ᚨᚱᛒᛁᛏᚨᚾarbitan//ᚹᛟᛞᚨᚾwodan//ᛚᚢᚢᚷᛟᚹᚺᚨᛜluugowhaŋ//ᛉᛖᛋres///ᚲᛁᛗkimᚨᚱᛒᛁᛏᚨᚾ / ᚹᛟᛞᚨᚾ / ᛚᚢᚢᚷᛟᚹᚺᚨᛜ / ᛉᛖᛋ / ᚲᛁᛗarbitan / wodan / luugowhaŋ / res // kimThe precise reading is uncertain.
The inscription has no generally accepted translation, but all scholars who have commented agree that the second line is an attestation of the theonym Wodan.
Suggestions for readings and translations include: Looijenga (2003) states that in her opinion the inscription is a falsification.