Tablet with inscription in an unknown language, discovered in Georgia.
Fishermen discovered an ancient tablet in Georgia with unknown writing. It dates back to the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age, researchers believe.
A group of fishermen from the Dmanisi region of Georgia found an ancient basalt slab inscribed in an unknown language, never seen before, while fishing in Lake Bashplemi.
According to a study in Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology in November, it was in the fall of 2021 that fishermen found the mysterious board. They cleaned it with an iron nail, fortunately, without damaging the engraved text.
Scientists later examined the artifact and found 39 symbols on its surface, some of which appeared to be numbers or punctuation marks. The symbols were arranged in seven horizontal lines, although it is not clear whether the text was written to be read from left to right or vice versa.
Researchers compared the inscription to more than 20 ancient Middle Eastern and Mediterranean languages, but were unable to definitively identify its origin. However, the symbols showed a strong similarity to the proto-Cartvelian writinga language associated with Georgia and Iberia around the fourth millennium BC
Similarities were also observed with the colchian runes of the Georgian Bronze Age, with the alfabeto Mrgvlovani of Georgia and written as Phoenician, Aramaic and Greek.
A microscopic analysis revealed that the letters on the tablet were carved using a conical drill to outline each symbol, followed by a smooth, rounded tool to connect the contours, according to the.
It is difficult to determine the exact age of the mysterious object, but its discovery, along with other artifacts from the Bronze and Iron Ages, suggests that it has several thousand years.
As for the meaning of the text, researchers speculated that it could document military feats, a major construction project or a religious offering.
