Ancient Languages chicken scratch ping.
Nine, if you count Obambi's birth certificate.
Some of these scripts are not likely to contibute much to our knowledge of world civilization, but Linear A, Etruscan, Meroitic, and Indus could tell us a lot about the early Minoan, Roman, and Egyptian civilizations, and everything about Indus Valley civilization.
I’ve got more than 8 scripts I wrote myself that even I can’t read.
“How hard shall the aftermath be of the great election of year 5769 A.M. But woe to him who empowered him!”
“Ishtar.” Now *there’s* a script that shouldn’t have been read.
Bump!
Lost Languages:
The Enigma Of The World's
Undeciphered Scripts
by Andrew Robinson
Thanks for the map, I had no idea. This is fascinating.
Our alphabet developed from the Phoenician alphabet. Clay tablets were found at the ancient Ugarit site in northern Syria showing a list of 30 letters. Each letter is based on a “one sound, one sign” system. The alphabet was developed around 14th century BC and is considered the oldest alphabet in the world.
Check out this site for more about Ugarit and to see an alphabet clay tablet:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/syria/ugarit.htm .
Minoan GreekMinoan Greek (Indo-Hittite) belongs to the Hellenic sub-branch of the Indo-European branch of the Indo-Hittite family of languages. Along with Mycenaean Greek, the two languages were both called Cretan, and for many years were thought to comprise a separate language family. Recent research has established that both are clearly sister languages to Greek. Inscriptions formerly called Linear A, from 1600 B.C., are now known to be in Minoan Greek.
U of Mt Mansfield Library
Language Finger
updated 11-21-2003
