A tablet bearing a previously unknown ancient script has been discovered in the Caucasus region, a study has reported.
The book-sized tablet—made of basalt, a type of volcanic rock—features 60 signs, with 39 of them being different from one another, representing a lost script, according to the paper published in the Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology.
The mysterious artifact came to light in the vicinity of Bashplemi Lake in Georgia, a transcontinental country that straddles the boundary between Eastern Europe and West Asia. While the signs have yet to be deciphered, they display some similarities to more than 20 other ancient scripts from the Near East and Mediterranean region.
The age of the tablet has not yet been determined, but it potentially dates back to the Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age, based on the shapes of the signs and the archaeological context, the study authors suggest.
An image of the tablet found in the vicinity of Bashplemi Lake, Georgia. The artifact contains evidence of a previously unknown ancient script.An image of the tablet found in the vicinity of Bashplemi Lake, Georgia. The artifact contains evidence of a previously unknown ancient script.Shengelia et al., Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology 2024Some locals came across the engraved tablet in Georgia's Dmanisi Municipality late in the autumn of 2021. At this time, the level of the lake water was at its lowest. The lake, surrounded by hills, is located at an altitude of roughly 5,400 feet above sea level.
A Georgian research team subsequently examined the artifact, determining that the graphical shapes engraved onto it were samples of an unknown script. The direction of the inscription is horizontal, from right to left or vice versa.
Mineral analysis revealed that the basalt is of local origin. The inscriptions appear to have been made with the use of drills, presumably two different types, and some abrasive material, according to the researchers.
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Comparison of the signs with those of other ancient scripts from the wider region identified some similarities with each one, but no complete match. Similarities were mostly identified while comparing the characters from the tablet with Caucasian scripts.
"While the basalt on which it is based is known to be of local origin, its meaning is unknown and there remains a long way to go to decipher it," the study reads.
The authors suggest that the find raises questions about the origin of the Georgian script, proto-Georgian.
"Archaeological excavations carried out at this archaeologically abundant location will provide answers to all other questions. Deciphering the inscription... 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."
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Reference
Shengelia, R., Gordeziani, L., Tushabramishvili, N., Poporadze, N., & Zourabichvili, O. (2024). Discovery of unknown script characters in Georgia: The Bashplemi Lake tablet. Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology. https://jaha.org.ro/index.php/JAHA/article/view/1035
