Enigmatic writing from the Republic of Georgia
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"Mysterious tablet with unknown language unearthed in Georgia", by Dario Radley, Archeology News (12/4/24)
Tablet with inscription in an unknown language, discovered in Georgia.
Credit: R. Shengelia et al., Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology
Graphic representation of Bashplemi inscription characters and their numbering.
Credit: R. Shengelia et al., Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology (2024)
A basalt tablet inscribed with an enigmatic language has been unearthed near Lake Bashplemi in Georgia’s Dmanisi region. Measuring 24.1 x 20.1 cm and made from local vesicular basalt, the artifact features 60 characters, 39 of which are unique. These symbols, arranged in seven registers, have left researchers debating their meaning and purpose.
The symbols, created using a conical drill and smoothed with rounded tools, reflect a high degree of craftsmanship. Archaeologists have speculated that the writing may have recorded military spoils, construction projects, or offerings to deities, though definitive interpretations remain elusive. “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,” noted researchers in the Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology.
Partial resemblances have been observed with the Proto-Kartvelian script from the 4th millennium BCE and seals from pre-Christian Georgia. Additionally, some symbols echo elements of early Caucasian scripts, such as Georgian Mrgvlovani and Albanian alphabets, as well as systems from the Near East, including Phoenician and Proto-Sinaitic. However, the Bashplemi inscription is not a direct replica of any known writing system, suggesting it may represent a unique or locally developed script.
The Dmanisi region, renowned for its wealth of archaeological finds, including some of the earliest Eurasian hominin remains, now adds this extraordinary artifact to its legacy. Though the exact age of the tablet is uncertain, researchers suggest it dates to the Late Bronze or Early Iron Ages, based on associated finds like pottery fragments and stone mortar.
…
Ancient texts from authors such as Apollonius of Rhodes reference writing in Colchis, a part of modern-day western Georgia, but direct archaeological evidence for such systems has been scarce. The Bashplemi tablet raises the possibility of ceremonial or administrative writing traditions that might have been recorded on perishable materials, such as wood or leather, which failed to survive the humid climate.
…
This discovery may indicate cultural exchange or influence between the Caucasus and neighboring regions in the ancient world. The partial similarities with scripts from diverse areas, including India and the Middle East, hint at a complex interplay of ideas and technologies.
Even though we cannot read it off, somehow the writing seems vaguely familiar. According to Brian Pellar,
They say it’s late Bronze Age/early Iron Age. I can see that many of those symbols are the same as the ones found in Old Europe. The spiral, the chevrons, the “Y”. the triangles, and the circles (w/dots) are quite reminiscent of the much older symbols used in association with the Neolithic goddess. But they seem to have no understanding of it or who made it. The fact that it’s relatively recent also adds much intrigue as to how it came to be.
Mysterious, indeed! As the article says, "…wear marks suggest attempts by modern locals to clean it, likely without understanding its importance. The precision of the carvings, achieved with advanced tools and techniques, underscores the technical skills of its ancient creators."
Selected readings
- "Mesopotamian seals and the birth of writing" (11/17/24) — especially this comment
- "The origins of graphic communication" (11/21/15) — with useful with helpful bibliography
- "The Origin(s) of Writing" (3/19/22) — with useful bibliography
- "The invention, development, and decipherment of writing" (12/30/22) — also with helpful bibliography
[h.t. rit malors]
Martin Schwartz said,
December 12, 2024 @ 2:30 am
For those who may be mystified by "Albanian" in the 3rd paragraph,
the reference is to the so-called Caucasian Albanian language/script,
the language being someimes called Old Udi; this Caucasic language has nothing to do with the Ind-European Albanian of the Balkans
and Italy, whose similar name is coincidental.
Martin Schwartz
Scott P. said,
December 12, 2024 @ 9:58 am
Are we certain it is not a forgery?
Stephen Goranson said,
December 12, 2024 @ 11:59 am
I would guess that it is fake, not ancient, though I haven't seen mentioned writing-system comparanda.
Only one putative (iffy?) symbol, upper left, goes off the edge. It is a sloppy-shaped stone, were it a formal monument. Yet basalt is too hard for pedestrian book-keeping use.
Saving modern locals' cleaning attempts left modern steel traces…convenient?
David Marjanović said,
December 12, 2024 @ 4:24 pm
More discussion in the first two-thirds of this thread (before the topic drifts to the etymology of the place name and then to literature). The consensus is heavy skepticism: it's hard to see how the presumed script makes sense as an alphabet or a syllabary, it comes out of nothing (beyond isolated resemblances to other simple shapes elsewhere), and it disappeared into nothing (the next time a language other than Aramaic or Greek was written in the region was 1000 to 1500 years later).
It would help if further examples of this presumed script turned up, preferably not pre-cleaned.
Lucas Christopoulos said,
December 12, 2024 @ 5:34 pm
If it is not a fake…
compare with the ones found on the West side of the Black Sea
Vinca scripts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vin%C4%8Da_symbols
Dispilio Tablet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispilio_Tablet
Chris Buckey said,
December 12, 2024 @ 10:32 pm
Assuming it isn't fake (and I don't have the expertise to weigh in on that), it doesn't look much like the Vinča symbols. Too practiced and clean an engraving job compared to what I've seen of Vinča stuff.
Scott P. said,
December 13, 2024 @ 12:15 am
Lucas,
Those other examples, whose significance are themselves a matter of dispute, cannot be used to authenticate a different artifact found hundreds of miles away and which, per Brian Pellar above, is supposedly "late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age," in other words, over 2000 years later than the latest of the two artifacts you mention.
Lucas Christopoulos said,
December 13, 2024 @ 12:58 am
Hello Scott,
I do no know if the Dispillio writings is a matter of dispute and why, but Georgia and Thrace are not situated 100 of miles away, they are all around the Black Sea area. For the 2000 years of later one of Georgia presented here, if not fake, maybe unrelated, unless you would see them as an evolution of the former.
Peter Grubtal said,
December 13, 2024 @ 4:58 am
First thought on seeing the image:- it's like the Phaistos disk: too good to be true.
David Marjanović said,
December 13, 2024 @ 6:05 am
Uh… I don't think anybody thinks the Phaistos Disk is fake at this point. Three or so very short inscriptions with the same stamped symbols have been found elsewhere in Crete, and "Cretan Hieroglyphics" are just handwritten versions of the same script before it became Linear A.
The Phaistos Disk makes statistical sense as a text written in a syllabary. (Both sides of the disk.) This inscription – not so much.
Andreas Johansson said,
December 13, 2024 @ 6:38 am
Assuming the thing is genuine, one shouldn't put too much store in the late bronze or early iron age date: it's based on pottery of such date being found nearby (but not in direct association), and some of the signs resembling ones found on seals in the region of such date. Given the simplicity of the signs, the latter is suggestive at best.
So while I basically agree with David Marjanović, the thousand year gap before other local scripts is not necessarily a problem – there's no strong reason the thing couldn't be late antique or medieval in date.
~flow said,
December 13, 2024 @ 2:20 pm
@Peter Grubtal AFAIK some 3 decades after the Phaistos Disc was unearthed some artifacts were recovered from an undisturbed stratum, some of the signs found on those (pottery?) pieces closely resembled one or two signs on the Disk. That makes a forgery pretty unlikely.
I have no opinion about this piece here though. But tool marks present or absent do not prove anything, of course they used tools back then and they also knew how to obtain a polished surface.
Stephen Goranson said,
December 13, 2024 @ 3:21 pm
For what little it may be worth, as a former construction worker and as a former archaeological digger, to me, this rock looks like modern tooling.
David Marjanović said,
December 13, 2024 @ 4:37 pm
The Phaistos Disc was discovered in 1909; the Arkalochori Ax bears 15 glyphs, of which 13 are shared with the Disc and/or with Linear A.