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Stunned archaeologists in Turkey recently discovered an approximately 3000-year-old tablet with writing on it in a never before seen language.
Text on the upper side of the tablet was found have to be written in Hittite. However, at the end of the Hittite text it states, “From now on, read in the language of the land of Kalash.”
It is that portion of the text, written in this dead Kalash language, that remains a mystery.
“I am not a linguist, I sent the tablet to the epigraphists. I was a little surprised when they said ‘we read it, but we cannot understand it,’” said Dr. Andreas Schachner, head of the Hattusa Ruins Archaeological Excavations where the tablet was found. “Later, when I examined the text in more detail, it was understood that there was a summary in Hittite language at the top of the tablet.
“There is, under it, we see that an unknown Anatolian language continues. At the end of the Hittite text, it says ‘From now on, read in the language of the country of Kalash’. After that, the text in the language of the country of Kalash comes.”
Schachner believes this Kalash country was in the Western Black Sea region, where the cities of Bolu-Gerede and Karabük are located in Turkey today.
“We already know that there are various languages among the tens of thousands of cuneiform tablets found in Boğazköy,” he continued. “We can name some of them, but we cannot name some of them.”
Perhaps the language is alien?
“This is an interesting situation for us and one that sheds light on the Hittites,” Schachner added. “The Hittites introduced themselves as the ‘Religion with a Thousand Gods.’ The Hittites did not destroy the gods of the region they conquered, on the contrary, they would take them to their capital, put them in temples and serve them. We see the same here, too.”
He says work is currently underway to translate the tablet, but the archaeologists won’t be releasing any images of it until that process is complete.
“Afterwards, the scientific world will discuss,” he said, “and everyone will come up with a solution by expressing their own opinion.”
Aliens. It’s totally an alien language.