France baffled by mystery inscription on rock

[Still Waters]

A village in western France is offering a €2,000 (£1,726) prize for help in deciphering a 230-year-old inscription found on a rock on a remote beach.

Until now no-one has been able to make out the meaning of the 20 lines of writing, discovered a few years ago.

The metre-high slab is in a cove accessible only at low tide near the Brittany village of Plougastel.

Among the normal French letters some are reversed or upside-down. There are also some Scandinavian-style Ø letters.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-48212442

[LucidElement]

Since no one can decipher it, who is to say that a person cant pretend to decipher it and make himself seem knowledgeable? lol, no one can tell him if hes right or wrong. (Because no one knows)

[pbarosso]

i know what this is. its a practice stone. when learning the trade of stone cutting and writing in stone often times stone cutters or inscribers would practice their letters on any available stone.

[Still Waters]

There's a video in this link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=W-oZEpwZBMU

It's in French but does show more of the rock.

[Jon the frog]

First, maybe protect it from erosion...

[Jon the frog]

On 5/11/2019 at 4:26 PM, pbarosso said:

i know what this is. its a practice stone. when learning the trade of stone cutting and writing in stone often times stone cutters or inscribers would practice their letters on any available stone.

Yep interesting proposition, do you know any other picture of other  practice stone ? Could solve other strange inscriptions found too...it's a way simple solution.

[pbarosso]

well, no i dont but its the most plausible explanation. imo

[Saru]

Mystery solved:

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/334936/french-rock-inscription-mystery-finally-solved

[Robotic Jew]

I'm disappointed that there was no doomsday prophecies or recipes for human consumption jotted down by aliens...

[Eldorado]

"A mysterious set of carvings on a rock face in France has finally been revealed as a description of a tragic death at sea.

"The inscription on rock in Plougastel-Daoulas, North West France, refers to a dying sailor, called Serge, more than 230 years ago.

"A competition to translate the carvings, which date from about 230 years ago, was launched by local authorities back in May.

"Now the inscription, which is marked with the dates 1786 and 1787, has finally been unscrambled thanks to the competition."

Full story at the UK Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8046701/Mysterious-Brittany-rock-inscription-description-tragic-death-sea.html

And Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/International/Mystery-behind-inscription-on-rock-in-French-cove-solved-after-230-years-618700

[thatgrimlife]

I know I've already said this in another thread, but it's absolutely amazing what the past can tell us. Cave paintings have told stories for thousands of years; rock carvings the same. And it's withstood time.The way we keep records nowadays is so easily destroyed. Books will rot and crumble, if electricity is ever lost there won't be a digital record, and yet things like this will still be there. 

[freetoroam]

Quote

The individual who wrote the engraving, it has also been suggested, may have been only semi-literate.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8046701/Mysterious-Brittany-rock-inscription-description-tragic-death-sea.html

Could it have been his wife, child or a close relative?

Quote

The rock on which the carvings were made is located in a remote cove that is only accessible when the tide goes out, near Plougastel-Daoulas, in Brittany.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8046701/Mysterious-Brittany-rock-inscription-description-tragic-death-sea.html

Highly likely a local person who knew that area. You would have to be from there to know when to get to the rock. 

Maybe there are records somewhere, but unlikely.

Quite sad really as someone really missed and cared for him.

[jaylemurph]

12 hours ago, Grimscythe said:

I know I've already said this in another thread, but it's absolutely amazing what the past can tell us. Cave paintings have told stories for thousands of years; rock carvings the same. And it's withstood time.The way we keep records nowadays is so easily destroyed. Books will rot and crumble, if electricity is ever lost there won't be a digital record, and yet things like this will still be there. 

I routinely examine book far older than this inscription. Heck, I own several older. I also, not infrequently, handle books 1,000+ years old. They’re not going anywhere and have already survived Vikings, capitalism and digital creep. 

—Jaylemurph 

[thatgrimlife]

4 hours ago, jaylemurph said:

I routinely examine book far older than this inscription. Heck, I own several older. I also, not infrequently, handle books 1,000+ years old. They’re not going anywhere and have already survived Vikings, capitalism and digital creep. 

—Jaylemurph 

That's awesome. I was mostly inferring to cheaply made, biodegradable books for the mass-market. Do these last that long as well? I'm totally curious.

[SHaYap]

I do wonder how much of how many books were lost forever because of fungus, insects, humidity rot if not fire... 

~