Archaeologists have discovered a fascinating tablet engraved with enigmatic symbols belonging to an ancient, extinct language. This basalt slab with unknown inscriptions was accidentally discovered in 2021 by a group of local fishermen who found it in the mud at the bottom of Lake Bashplemi in Georgia.
The surface of the mysterious book-sized plate is engraved with 60 characters arranged in seven rows, 39 of which are completely unique. This amazing discovery has attracted the attention of researchers, who believe that it could represent a lost language belonging to a previously unknown ancient civilization.
The enigmatic tablet offers a rare opportunity to explore an uncharted chapter of human history, opening up new directions for linguistic and archaeological research.
Archaeologists claim that these strange symbols are not found in any language known to science.
Mysterious Inscription in an Unknown Language – Lake Bashplemi Georgia Collage R Shengelia et al
Chemical dating of the tablet could not be achieved
Although there are similarities with manuscripts from India, Egypt and the western Iberian Peninsula, archaeologists argue that the Bashplemi inscription does not use any established language.
It was not possible to chemically date the tablet, but given the area in which it was discovered, it is assumed that the inscriptions could date from the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age, about 14,000 years ago.
Researchers say there is no way to know what message the ancient author wanted to convey, but they believe it could have been something important.
The arrangement and frequency of some of the characters suggest that they may have been used to denote numbers or punctuation marks. Researchers have suggested that the writing system could have been used to record religious offerings, construction work or military inventories, although these interpretations are preliminary.
Enigmatic symbols inscribed with ‘surprisingly advanced’ technique
The 60 characters on the tablet appear to be made with a surprisingly advanced and refined technique for the period in which it was created.
It is believed that to create these inscriptions, ancient craftsmen began by digging a series of incisions to outline each symbol using a conical drill, then smoothed the edges with round-headed tools. Thus, curved shapes, lines and unique points were obtained, totally different from anything else known to date. The hardness of the basalt and the precision of the markings suggest not only a high level of skill, but also a highly advanced carving technique for the period.
The closest symbols to those found on the Bashplemi tablet are found in Proto-Kartvelian – an ancestor of the modern Georgian language – ancestral language spoken in the 4th millennium BC.
There are similar forms on ancient seals used in pre-Christian Georgia, during the early Iron Age. Archaeologists suggest that these simple bone stamps were probably used by officials such as tax collectors to mark various goods including quantities of wine.
The origins of the inscription, a complete mystery. Resemblance to exotic manuscripts
In their work published in the Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology, the researchers noted similarities with even more exotic manuscripts.
They wrote: “In general, the Bashplemi inscription does not repeat any writing known to us; however, most of the symbols used in it resemble those found in Middle Eastern manuscripts, as well as those of geographically distant countries such as India, Egypt and the west of the Iberian Peninsula”.
However, no ancient language perfectly matches any of the known languages, making the origins of this inscription a complete mystery.
Obsidian tools, discovered at the bottom of the lake
The city of Mansi, where the tablet was discovered, located in the historical region of Dbaniskhevi, was once the site of a prosperous civilization whose roots date back to the early Bronze Age.
Excavations have even uncovered stone and obsidian tools used for processing hides, suggesting a long period of settlement in the area.
Around Lake Bashplemi, drone surveys have revealed groups of regular circles that could be burial mounds, but also geometric shapes that could represent the remains of houses, defense structures and places of worship.
The connection between the mysterious tablet, the myth of Jason and the “Golden Writing”
An interesting aspect is that the researchers suggest a possible connection between the inscriptions at Bashplemi and a lost language mentioned in Greek mythology.
In the myth of Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, it is mentioned that he travels to Colchis to obtain the Golden Fleece. Although Colchis was often considered a mythological land of riches, it was apparently a real region bordering the Black Sea in what is now Georgia. The place was, however, identified by some historians, such as Nicolae Densușianu, also in Romania. With the deciphering of the Georgian tablet, perhaps this mystery of the location of Colchis will be clarified.
According to ancient Greek sources, the inhabitants of Colchis knew a writing system called “Golden Writing”.
In the year 1115, the Byzantine scholar St. Eustathius of Thessalonica wrote:
“The purpose of the Argonautic expedition was to learn the method of the Golden Writing.”
The Bashplemi tablet may be related to the Colchidian runes
However, all traces of this ancient language, now known as Colchidian runes, have been lost to time.
This is probably due to the fact that the original inhabitants of Colchis used organic materials for writing, such as bone or wood, which decomposed over time.
However, researchers now suggest that the Bashplemi tablet may be related in some way to the Colchidian runes.
However, without further archaeological excavations in the area, there is no way to know for sure what the tablet says or who its creators were.
The researchers concluded: “Deciphering inscriptions found in the historical Dbaniskhevi region could represent a remarkable and significant event, able to change the stereotypes related to certain historical phenomena and to deepen the understanding of the origins and evolution of writings in the Caucasus”.
In Georgia, numerous archaeological sites date back to the Bronze Age. Near Lake Bashplemi, where the basalt tablet inscribed with unknown characters was discovered, the skull of a 1.8 million-year-old hominin, considered the first European, was also found.
