Archaeology & History

Ancient stone slab contains a language that nobody is able to decipher

By T.K. Randall
December 5, 2024 ·  45 comments

What does this writing mean ? Image Credit: Ramaz Shengelia et al. Carved into a basalt slab, the mysterious writing - which consists of 60 characters over 7 rows - is not consistent with any known language and nobody has been able to determine what it says.

While there are some similarities to scripts from India, Egypt and Western Iberia, the writing is sufficiently unique to defy interpretation.

Even dating the slab itself has proven challenging, although it is now generally believed that it dates back to either the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age.

Some experts have speculated that some of the characters that are repeated could be numbers that perhaps represent military spoils or calculations regarding construction work.It is also possible that the writing holds some form of spiritual or ritualistic significance.

"Generally, the Bashplemi inscription does not repeat any script known to us; however, most of the symbols used therein resemble ones found in the scripts of the Middle East, as well as those of geographically remote countries such as India, Egypt and West Iberia," researchers wrote in a new paper published in the Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology.

Ultimately, however, without the discovery of further samples of this mysterious language, we may never know for sure what it says or who wrote it.

"Deciphering the inscription discovered in historical Dbaniskhevi can become a remarkably interesting and significant event and this can possibly change the stereotypes about certain historical phenomena, as well as key aspects of the origination and development of the scripts in Caucasus," the researchers concluded.

Source: Mail Online | Comments (45)

Tags: Language