Archaeology & History

Ancient talisman inscription remains a mystery

By T.K. Randall
October 20, 2018 ·  11 comments

Sir Richard Francis Burton in 1864. Image Credit: Public Domain Originally described as a 'meteorite', the stone, which is now believed to be a type of talisman, was discovered in Mesopotamia by prolific explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton.

It was sold on, along with his other belongings, following his death in 1890.

Now, more than 120 years later, researchers in London have confirmed once and for all that the object is indeed terrestrial in origin and have identified the inscription as Kufic - a form of calligraphic Arabic.

They have since appealed for help in deciphering it.According to Richmond curator Mark De Novellis, the object closely resembles a talisman held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and was likely thought to have had supernatural properties.

"If you've got a talisman it is a sacred mystical object," he said. "I've got a feeling that when we get this translated it will be of a mystical or spiritual nature."

"I think it just appealed to Burton's imagination. I think he had that sort of mindset where any stone that is sacred or mystical is potentially extra-terrestrial so he interprets that as being a meteorite."

Experts scramble to decipher mysterious inscription on ancient stone discovered in Mesopotamia: Sir Richard Francis Burton 'wanted to be a legend' and may have invented artefact's back-story https://t.co/60LwjqakPg

— Cannock Chase Radio FM (@CannockRadio) September 28, 2018

Source: Independent | Comments (11)

Tags: Talisman, Richard Francis Burton