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Rare Cuneiform Script Found on Island of Malta
Popular Archaeology ^ | Thursday, December 22, 2011 | Vol. 5 December 2011

Posted on 12/24/2011 9:27:13 AM PST by SunkenCiv

A small-sized find in an ancient megalithic temple stirs the imagination.

Excavations among what many scholars consider to be the world's oldest monumental buildings on the island of Malta continue to unveil surprises and raise new questions about the significance of these megalithic structures and the people who built them. Not least is the latest find -- a small but rare, crescent-moon shaped agate stone featuring a 13th-century B.C.E. cuneiform inscription, the likes of which would normally be found much farther west in Mesopotamia.

Led by palaeontology professor Alberto Cazzella of the University of Rome "La Sapienza", the archaeological team found the inscribed stone in the sancturary site of Tas-Silg, a megalithic temple built during the late Neolithic period, and which has been used for various religious and ceremonial purposes by the ancients from the third millennium BC to the Byzantine era. The inscription was translated as a dedication to the Mesopotamian moon god Sin, the father of Ninurta who, for centuries, was the main deity worshiped far to the west in the city of Nippur in Mesopotamia. Nippur was considered a holy city and a pilgrimage site with a scribal school that generated literary texts.

The location of the find makes it the farthest west the ancient script has ever been discovered, raising questions about how it ended up in the remote location. Some scholars theorize that the inscribed stone was likely looted from the temple of Nippur during military conflict and then transported westward through an exchange of hands by Cypriot or Mycenaean merchants, thought to have had trading relations with the central Mediterranean at the time.

(Excerpt) Read more at popular-archaeology.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: aeneid; albertocazzella; carthage; catastrophism; cuneiform; epigraphyandlanguage; etruscans; godsgravesglyphs; malta; mesopotamia; minoans; mycenaeans; ninurta; nippur; phoenicians; sin; tassilg; trojanwar
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To: SunkenCiv; icwhatudo
Only assuming, as you do, that using BCE means the author hates God.

What's wrong with BCE? It just stands for "Before Christian Era," right?

/just to tick off the seculonazis

21 posted on 12/24/2011 10:12:58 AM PST by Yashcheritsiy
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To: SunkenCiv

That looks like the kind of Agate we find here in Eastern Washington State. Without the inscription though. :-)


22 posted on 12/24/2011 10:17:21 AM PST by Spunky (Sarah Palin on Polls "Poles are for Strippers and Cross Country Skiers")
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To: 17th Miss Regt

likes of which would normally be found much farther west in Mesopotamia.
West? Mesopotamia is in current Iraq which is to the east. It is to the west the looooong way around

Meybe you should learn to read, it was found on Malta, far to the west of Mesopotamia, anyway, have a merry Christmas youall


23 posted on 12/24/2011 10:21:00 AM PST by munin (Live free or on the news earlier todayatementched the st die. Put Paul in the hall)
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To: lonevoice

That reminds me.....I have to pick up the tickets for The Nutcracker.


24 posted on 12/24/2011 10:40:11 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: SunkenCiv; blueunicorn6
Of course, when you ring the number, it’s a nursing home.

That sucks.

25 posted on 12/24/2011 10:55:46 AM PST by bigheadfred (MERRY CHRISTMAS)
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To: munin
Meybe you should learn to read, it was found on Malta, far to the west of Mesopotamia

That's not what it reads here: "the likes of which would normally be found much farther west in Mesopotamia"
26 posted on 12/24/2011 10:57:28 AM PST by kenavi (1% of the 1% were born in the 1%.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Don’t forget to drink your Ovaltine!


27 posted on 12/24/2011 11:09:42 AM PST by rwoodward ("god, guns and more ammo")
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To: rwoodward

That, is a good one.


28 posted on 12/24/2011 1:12:28 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: kenavi

Sorry about that, in another version it said it was the first time an artifact like that had been found that far west, so somebody (author?) made a mistake, clearly Malta is far to the west of Mesopotamia, the land between the rivers as it were, Ninurta, warlord for the God Enlil and son of Sin, for whom the Sinai were named were at war with Marduk, son of Enki for supremacy of the world and his birthright was denied him and the Mesopotamian Gods treatment of his father, Enki, he wanted some revenge, anyhow, it seems as he eventually won that war and made his headquarters in Babylon, Marduke that is.anyway fasinating stuff, have a merry Christmas all and more fun on freepers in 2012


29 posted on 12/24/2011 1:43:24 PM PST by munin (Live free or on the news earlier todayatementched the st die. Put Paul in the hall)
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To: munin
"Sinai", as in "Mount Sinai"?

Would this tradition touch Jethro/Reuel, Moses's father-in-law, to whom the Bible records a great measure of respect?

Merry Christmas, the legacy that began between the two rivers (at least as far as we can trace), goes on.
30 posted on 12/24/2011 6:17:17 PM PST by kenavi (1% of the 1% were born in the 1%.)
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To: Yashcheritsiy

Actually, I believe BCE means Before Common Era


31 posted on 12/25/2011 3:17:56 AM PST by killermosquito (Buffalo, Detroit (and eventually France) is what you get when liberalism runs its course.)
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To: Spunky

It would be huge news though, if one showed up in Wa St with cuneiform on it...


32 posted on 12/25/2011 4:18:15 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! May 2013 be even Happier!)
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To: killermosquito; Yashcheritsiy

Thanks killermosquito.


33 posted on 12/25/2011 4:28:29 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! May 2013 be even Happier!)
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To: lonevoice

Speak for yourself, sonny.


34 posted on 12/25/2011 4:37:01 PM PST by MHGinTN (Some, believing they cannot be deceived, it's impossible to convince them when they're deceived.)
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To: bigheadfred

I forgot the ba-dump-dump!


35 posted on 12/25/2011 4:54:54 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! May 2013 be even Happier!)
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To: JRandomFreeper

:’)


36 posted on 12/25/2011 5:04:54 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! May 2013 be even Happier!)
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To: Rocky

:’D


37 posted on 12/25/2011 5:05:13 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! May 2013 be even Happier!)
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To: bobjam

Malta spelled backwards is Atlam, which is a corruption of Atlantis. No aliens, Malta was the original site of Atlantis.

I know I’ll regret the lack of a sarc tag...


38 posted on 12/25/2011 5:08:20 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! May 2013 be even Happier!)
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To: kenavi

“Sinai”, as in “Mount Sinai”?

Yes absolutly, and yes to your other question to, the old testament is a history book with most of the earlier stuff borrowed from much older Sumerian and Acadian writings. If you are really interested in this history and noty just hung up on Christianeyt that came much later, but buildt on the older history, you might start with reading “The 12th. Planet” by Zakaria Sitchin, he has studied this stuff since boyhood and he passed away earlier this year, his writing explains a lot of things without destroying \christian teaching and he explain how inteligent design and evolution are not mutualy exclusive, you might be interesting in reading a early \sumerian text about the creation called “Enuma Elish” my copy was translated around 1895 or so, we are away with family for Christmas, so can’t check spelling if names,m but if you google it you will find it ok.try “Sitchin.com” good luck and have fun


39 posted on 12/25/2011 5:15:12 PM PST by munin (Live free or on the news earlier todayatementched the st die. Put Paul in the hall)
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To: lonevoice

Better living through chemistry!


40 posted on 12/25/2011 5:52:55 PM PST by Vermont Lt (I just don't like anything about the President. And I don't think he's a nice guy.)
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